WING AND TRAP 
SHOOTING 

BY CHARLES ASKINS 





Class 
Book 






Copyright ]^"_ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSITS 



WING AND TRAP SHOOTING 



1^ 



WING AND TRAP 
SHOOTING . 



BY 

CHARLES ASKINS 

Author of " The American Shotgun. 



Illustrated with Diagrams 





NEW YORK 

OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY 

MCMXI 






Copyright, 1910, By 
OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY 



Entered at Stationer's Hall, London, England. 
All rights reserved 



Copyright, 1911, By 
OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY. 



Entered at Stationer's Hall, London, England. 
All rights reserved 



CI.A303i)56 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Wing-Shooting Problems ... 9 

11. " Aiming " the Gun 21 

III. Snap-Shooting, Deliberate Swing 

AND Rapid Swing .... 41 

IV. Primary Lessons 57 

V. Some Shooting Psychology . . 73 

VI. Speed of Flight and Where to 

Hold 91 

VII. Hints on Shooting Different 

Game Birds 108 

VIII. Clay Bird Shooting .... 137 

IX. Field Etiquette 165 



-> 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Gun-Pointing — With Both Eyes Open — 28 

Three Ten-Shot Targets Made with a 
22 Rifle at 20 Yards with a 
Blinder Over the Rear Sight, 
Showing Effect of Binocular Gun 
Pointing S9 

Rough Snap, Semi-Snap and Rapid Swing 42 

The Difference in Lead Between a 

Snap Shot and a Swinging Shoot . 50 

Estimating Distance to Hold Ahead in 

Lengths of the Bird 105 

Arrangement of Firing Points in Ref- 
erence to Traps 145 

How Distance Handicaps May Be Meas- 
ured AT the Firing Points . . . 147 



CHAPTER I 

WING-SHOOTING PROBLEMS 

IN wing-shooting an object in motion must 
be struck by missiles from an arm also in 
motion. The whole science of wing-shoot- 
ing consists in delivering a charge of shot, not 
directly at the flying target, but to a point where 
the bird will be when the charge reaches it. 
A woman novelist states the matter very naively 
when telling her sister sportswomen how to shoot 
English sparrows with a 22 rifle. Incidentally 
the lady cleverly demonstrates that she possesses 
all those qualities of lively imagination so requi- 
site in a writer of " fiction for girls." According 
to the authoress she early discovered that when 
attempting to hit the little birds while they were 
sitting she missed because of their springing away 
with the flash of the gun, but when she jumped 
them and shot where they would he when the 
bullet got there, she killed them every time. 
Wing-shooting is as simple as that, merely shoot 
exactly where the bird will be when the shot 
gets there and success is certain, even with a 
rifle. 

9 



10 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

Many of us have had more trouble to do this 
with a shotgun, however, than this feminine 
writer of fiction seems to have found with a rifle, 
hence this book on the science of wing-shooting. 
If the birds invariably flew in the same direction 
with a motion as even as the flight of an arrow, at 
one unvarying rate of speed, and the gunner knew 
how to gauge the speed and angle to the fraction 
of an inch, possessing at the same time the me- 
chanical regularity of a machine in every move- 
ment he made, I see no reason why he should 
not be as successful as the lady. 

In field shooting every separate shot may afford 
its own individual problem which must be solved 
instantly if the game is to be killed. Wing-shoot- 
ing problems are highly complex, moreover, be- 
cause nearly every factor is unknown. The only 
factor, indeed, that is absolutely known, or should 
be, is that when the gun is held right the bird is 
killed. The death of the bird proves, per se, 
that the problem was correctly solved, and there 
is no other correct solution. Reasoning back- 
ward from results we know that the mind stated 
the unknown factors with truth and reckoned 
from them without error. However, suppose the 
bird were missed, the question then is to learn 
which of the unknown factors was misstated, and 
here our difficulties begin. 



WING-SHOOTING PROBLEMS 11 

It reminds me of a department in an old arith- 
metic of my father's which was called supposition. 
You supposed such and such to be the case, 
and this governed a second unknown quantity, 
which finally led to solving the problem, provided 
your first supposition had been correct; other- 
wise you tried again — in wing-shooting at an- 
other bird. 

The unknown factors in wing-shooting are the 
behavior of the shot charge and where it has gone 
when you miss ; the direction, rate of speed, and 
evenness of flight of the target; the mechanical 
ability of the gunner to perform certain acts with 
absolute regularity and precision; the behavior 
of the shooter's mind and nerves under varying 
degrees of tension. 

If only one of these unknown quantities were 
known, fixed, and stable, it would immensely fa- 
cilitate learning to shoot on the wing. For in- 
stance, if our shot charge went up to the target 
in the shape of an immense black ball, thirty 
inches in diameter, that we could see strike or 
miss the target, we could all learn more of this 
art in a year than we now do in a lifetime. The 
expert shot can frequently tell why he has missed 
and where his charge went, but not so the novice 
for whom we are writing. Even the most experi- 
enced are frequently puzzled as to the cause of 



12 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

missing, though in their case it merely adds to the 
fascination of the game which would lose in inter- 
est if made too easy. 

In the same way if we could shoot at game 
which had an undeviating line of flight, with 
angles that never changed and a speed that never 
varied, striking the mark would be greatly sim- 
plified. We would then have conditions similar 
to those that govern trapshooting with artificial 
birds where higli scores are made with such regu- 
larity as to become monotonous. 

Given a shot charge that could be seen and a 
target at known angles whose rate of flight never 
changed, and we would still have two unstable 
factors to contend with, the inability to make a 
perfect machine of the human body and poor 
team work on the part of brain and nerves. Me- 
chanically nature has endowed us differently. A 
man may be able to draw one straight line, but if 
you tell him to draw ten, one of them will be 
crooked; some other can draw ten straight lines, 
but will fail before reaching a hundred. The 
more difficult the task and the longer continued, 
the higher the degree of mechanical skill required. 
An expert modern trapshot is simply a great 
mechanic and nothing else, but a high degree of 
mechanical skill is a requisite in every description 
of wing-shooting. Nevertheless it is only one of 



WING-SHOOTING PROBLEMS 13 

the factors that lead to success in live bird shoot- 
ing. 

The action of an individual mind and nerves 
under varying degrees of excitement is one of 
the shooting factors that are extremely hard to 
control. Reliable work can be accomplished only 
by the man whose mind and nerves have been 
trained to that very sort of thing. They must 
work with automatic rapidity, without effort, un- 
der all circumstances. Pulling the three-pound 
trigger of a shotgun is a very simple thing but it 
takes one man six times as long to accomplish it 
as it does another, or the trigger may be pressed 
in 4-100 of a second ordinarily but under excite- 
ment will be pulled in 1-100 of a second. If one 
pull places the charge upon the bird the other 
would probably miss it. 

It might be well to illustrate some of the shoot- 
ing principles mentioned. A quail is passing the 
gun at a distance of twenty yards and the arm 
is aligned two feet ahead of the bird and fired, 
resulting in a kill. Now the student of wing- 
shooting has an apparent foundation to work 
upon, one of his unknown factors has become a 
fixed quantity; a bird crossing at right angles, 
twenty yards distant, can be killed by holding two 
feet in advance. But the next bird that affords 
a similar shot is a duck and shooting two feet 



14 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

in front of it scores a clean miss. His theory of 
holding two feet ahead of the target proved wrong 
in this case and he must find reasons. By and by 
it may occur to him that the duck was flying 
faster than the quail, forty feet a second faster. 
The necessity of closely calculating the speed of 
flight of the target is thus strongly impressed, 
and it dawns upon him that one of the unknown 
factors, speed of flight, can never become a fixed 
quantity, but must always be estimated, and upon' 
his sound judgment depends his growth of skill 
as a shot. 

The next duck that comes along he leads four 
feet and kills, much to his satisfaction, for now 
he knows that two feet in advance of a quail 
will kill it and four feet in front will connect with 
ducks. However, a third duck is of a different 
variety, one that comes loitering by at twenty 
miles an hour, A pull four feet ahead of this 
fowl results in another rank miss and a badly 
puzzled shooter. Holding two or four feet in 
advance doesn't all depend on the variety of 
bird for the same wings can carry it fast or slow, 
and every bird must be judged individually. 

Again a quail comes by. A two-feet lead will 
surely kill it as it did before, but just as the 
trigger is pressed the bird suddenly swoops, and 
the charge goes harmlessly above it. Birds must 



WING-SHOOTING PROBLEMS 15 

fly evenly if our novice is to strike them; yes, 
and anyone else — that is what the second barrel 
is for. Yet another duck wings by and the gun- 
ner means to try that four foot lead again, but 
the aim is high. He knows it, but there is no 
time for more than the one aim and he cannot 
avoid throwing his charge away. Our tyro has 
learned something else, though; if he is to kill he 
must have the mechanical ability to place his 
charge exactly where he means it to go, otherwise 
the knowledge of speed and where to hold that 
he has been acquiring is all wasted. 

More opportunities occur and the student re- 
solves to be extremely careful as to where he 
places his next shot. All his movements are more 
deliberate. He swings slowly and pulls steadily 
and carefully, as nearly as he can judge exactly 
four feet ahead of the duck, but it goes on without 
the loss of a feather. Now what the deuce was 
wrong? Did he fail to estimate the speed, or to 
hold where he intended? He may not know it or 
learn what was the trouble for a long time, but the 
miss was due entirely to his extreme care and over- 
caution, to dwelling on the trigger and taking 
6-100 of a second to pull, in place of his usual 
1-100. During the time lost by his over care- 
fulness the bird flew four feet and the shot passed 
away behind. His finger and brain worked to- 



16 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

gether like balky horses ; when one lunged forward 
the other held back. 

Gradually, he acquires knowledge, but all birds 
do not fly past at twenty yards. A big bird 
swings down upon him and he thinks it very 
close, but the usual lead fails to cut a feather. 
His gun swung to the very spot he wished, he 
pulled in exact time, the flight of the fowl never 
wavered from a straight line, and yet he missed. 
Neither would he ever have known why except for 
a friend standing near who asked him where he 
had held and how far off he considered the bird to 
be. His reply was twenty-five yards and he had 
held five feet in front of the old drake. He was 
skeptical when told that the fowl was not less 
than forty-five yards distant and that he should 
have aimed from eight to ten feet in front of it 
instead of five. 

All this will be dwelt upon later. Here I wish 
merely to impress upon the reader that the diffi- 
culties of wing-shooting lie almost entirely in the 
inability of the gunner to detect the cause of 
error. Should he ascribe the trouble to one thing 
and it proves to be something else, he will surely 
go farther astray. There is no such thing as 
profiting by our mistakes unless we know what 
those mistakes are. A bird might be missed by 
giving it too much lead while the shooter, conclud- 



WING-SHOOTING PROBLEMS IT 

ing he had not led enough, would get farther and 
farther out with every succeeding miss. 

Very likely the result of a perfect estimate of 
distance, angle, and speed is thrown away by the 
novice keeping poor time, swinging too fast or too 
slow, with a consequent placing of the charge else- 
where than where he thinks he did. Under such 
circumstances the most natural and easiest thing 
to do is to change the point of aim with the in- 
evitable additional misses that are as certain to 
follow as that two wrongs do not make a right. 

A false diagnosis leads to the novice swallowing 
many bitter and useless doses. It is like a hunter 
hurrying to camp but on the wrong road, the 
faster he walks the farther off he gets ; he ought 
to learn the right road by traveling it often 
enough. 

Some of the problems of wing-shooting are 
much more complex than any of the foregoing. 
It took the writer a good ten years of steady 
practice to solve one, and he thinks well of his 
work at that. 

Through years of shooting I was considerably 
exercised by the fact that I missed easy shots, 
generally quail going straight away or gently 
quartering — shots that should have been as easy 
as falling off a log. Very often this happened 
when I was perfectly cool and collected, covering 



18 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

mj target with such ease and certainty that miss- 
ing should have oeen impossible. By and by, 
from being told by companions and seeing the shot 
strike the water or sand, I learned that the trouble 
was shooting low. There was no doubt that I 
missed by shooting under, but I couldn't see why 
when the bird had been quivering along just above 
the muzzle of my gun as it had a thousand times 
before when killed. One thing was obvious; I 
only lost the birds that I felt sure of killing, 
those that were covered with deliberate, calculat- 
ing accuracy. 

That being the case, I had only to quicken 
time, or shoot a trifle more recklessly to kill^ 
and this I could do. However, this did not sat- 
isfy me ; I wished to know reasons for the miss as 
the only sure means of preventing its recurrence. 
My first conclusion was that with deliberate %hots 
I flinched and dropped the muzzle without know- 
ing it. This satisfied me in a way, though I wor- 
ried because I never could detect the flinching or 
discover means of preventing it. Then I solved 
the mystery though I still miss the birds some- 
times. 

Here is the solution which applied in my case 
and might or might not in others. At the exact 
instant when an experienced shot expects his wea- 
pon to be discharged, he unconsciously leans for- 



WING-SHOOTING PROBLEMS 19 

ward to catch the recoil which would otherwise 
throw him backward out of balance, preventing 
tlie quick delivery of his second barrel. Now sup- 
pose the weapon misses fire, there being no recoil 
to restore the equilibrium of the body, it continues 
forward and if the gunner is standing in a light 
duck boat he may be pitched out. On firm ground . 
the muscles of the feet will quickly restore him to 
position, but he will find his gun pointing well 
beneath the target. 

In a minor degree all this happened to me when 
I pulled deliberately. Leaning forward to catch 
the kick which did not come at the anticipated 
time because of slow pulling, down went the muz- 
zle of my gun enough to insure a miss. Of course 
leaning forward might not depress the muzzle of 
the gun if you did it consciously, but not one 
shooter in a thousand knows that he does it, and 
considerable poor work can be attributed to this 
cause. 

Close observation, experience, and practice will 
take you safely over the road to the expert wing- 
shot's camp, and the farther you travel the 
smoother the path becomes — only do not take the 
wrong trail or walk in a circle, neither trust any- 
one else to more than point the direction you 
ought to go. 

In an entire day's field shooting no two shots 



«0 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

may be alike; indeed it is a question if two shots 
are ever exactly similar in live bird shooting. One 
bird is driving, another is coming in; this little 
chap quarters with a rising flight, and the next 
is dropping like a bullet; the snipe dodges, while 
the mallard swerves and towers; now a wary old 
pintail beats up against the wind and hovers over 
the decoys, but forty yards beyond a blue wing 
teal whistles down the wind at a hundred and 
twenty miles an hour. No man ever lived or ever 
will live that could kill them all, which is as it 
should be. 

I can remember the time when I could recall 
every kill made during an entire season and where 
I held for the shot. That time will never come 
to me again. The very best sport is enjoyed only 
by the ambitious novice who is just beginning to 
learn. Youth, a good gun, and the brown birds 
rising in the rag weed field need ask no odds of 
king or millionaire. What matter if in five only 
one solved problem has deadly results, life is be- 
fore the boy and the skill that is surely coming 
to every man who loves the gun. 



CHAPTER II 



WING-SHOOTING is of comparatively 
modern origin, A hundred years ago 
very few birds were killed awing, and 
those with a long-barreled old flintlock that usu- 
ally had double sights and was fired with what 
we should consider a slow, pottering aim. Wing- 
shooting really dates from the invention of per- 
cussion caps in a practical form, about 1830, and 
the present style of shotgun shooting is of very 
modern origin. 

Naturally the rifle method of aiming had its in- 
fluence for a good many years, a full half century 
in fact, long after the invention of breech-loading 
guns. The old manner of shooting a shotgun was 
to close one eye and squint low over the breech, 
theoretically never pulling trigger until the front 
bead was accurately aligned upon the target. 
Many an old veteran still speaks learnedly of 
" drawing a bead " on the game. The author's 
wing-shooting career has been connected with the 

21 



«2 WING AND THAP-SHOOTING 

breechloader only, yet in his first lessons, given 
by his father, the necessity of closing one eye if 
any accuracy of aim were to be attained was 
strongly emphasized. 

In truth the primer of gun-firing was to learn 
to close one eye instantly and invariably, prepara- 
tory to aiming, and the second principle was not 
to shut them both before pulling the trigger. If in 
those days any man had discovered that he could 
kill game by simply pointing his gun without 
closing his eye or seeing a sight, he would never 
have had courage enough openly to advocate such 
a system of gun aiming. 

Doubtless the coming of nitro powder has had 
much to do with the development of our present 
slap-bang fashion of shotgun shooting, yet due 
credit should be given to Doctor Carver who is 
properly entitled to be called the father of modern 
wing-shooting. Probably no less wonderful shot 
than he could have had influence enough to have 
changed a style of shotgun aiming that was once 
universal. 

The " one eye " method of sighting a shotgun 
is not altogether obsolete yet. Many a veteran 
sportsman has shot long and successfully in this 
way and will not change ; neither is there good rea- 
son why he should, for it is hard to teach an old 
dog new tricks, nor does he learn them quite so well 



''AIMING'' THE GUN «3 

as he knew the old. Nevertheless it is true that 
few or no expert shots ever close an eye in aiming 
to-day, though some of them in effect sight ex- 
actly the same as though they did. The writer 
has followed the Carver scheme of gun pointing 
more years than he can remember, and among all 
his friends who shoot well, especially in the up- 
lands, there are none who have any other method 
of aiming. 

Many who point a gun without regard to sight 
or rib do it unconsciously. As an example a 
shooting companion of mine who found difficulty 
in connecting with crossing birds concluded that 
a patent sight with three beads would assist him 
greatly. With a bird passing to the left he 
would use the right bead, and he figured to a 
mathematical nicety just how far ahead that 
would throw his charge. After a shot of the kind 
that usually troubled him, which he missed exactly 
as before, I asked him where he had held that off 
bead. He admitted blankly that he never had seen 
it, and neither could he remember ever seeing one 
of those three beads afterward when making a 
quick shot though they were big enough to cover 
a balloon. He soon threw the patent sight aside 
as being theoretically fine but practically worth- 
less. 



24 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 
One Eye Sighting 

One eye sighting is distinctly slow and is not 
adapted to killing game that in the nature of its 
flight is either imperfectly outlined or rapidly gets 
beyond range. One eye aiming implies that the 
instant the gun comes to the shoulder there shall 
be a pause in its movement while the eye adjusts 
itself to the sight, or, as it is called, finds it. 
This focusing the eye upon the sight necessarily 
dims the vision of the target, for there is no such 
thing as the human eye focusing perfectly both 
upon the gun sight and the game. Notwithstand- 
ing this the target can be seen, even though it 
appear shadowy, and the sight placed upon it 
very accurately; indeed, if the game were not 
moving, or the shot was directed straight at it, it 
could be placed with greater precision than in any 
other way. But it occurs not infrequently that 
after you have paused to find the sight, the oppor- 
tunity is gone, either the game cannot be seen 
again or not quickly enough to cover it before 
it escapes. 

Further, the principle involved in the one eye 
use of gunsights is that if they do not align per- 
fectly with the target on the first attempt, with- 
hold your fire and never pull trigger until sure 
of your aim. Naturally this theory of obtaining 



"AIMING'' THE GUN 25 

a second and surer sight when needful is rarely 
put in practice in wing-shooting, and if it were the 
result would be a pottering inefficiency that would 
last through life. The gun-pointing shot doesn't 
do things that way, since nothing short of a house 
intervening would prevent his shooting exactly on 
time. 

Finding the sights, whether with one or both 
eyes open, and putting the focused bead upon the 
target is beyond question the most accurate way 
of aiming a gun, as witness that it has been 
adopted by all riflemen who are obliged to do fine 
holding. The very finest sighting that I have ever 
seen done was accomplished with a telescope hav- 
ing a big leather blinder attached to the rear 
which entirely covered the left eye, thus permit- 
ting it to remain wide open without seeing any- 
thing. Using a sight of this kind shots can be 
called within one inch at two hundred yards. 
This means that at shotgun range of forty yards, 
a sighting error of one-fifth of an inch could be 
detected ; the absurdity of such close sighting can 
be noted by recalling that a shotgun pattern 
covers at least thirty inches at the distance. 

What is required in wing-shooting is no such 
hair-splitting aim, but that we cover the target 
with the utmost dispatch and pull on the instant 
— not a hundredth of a second sooner or later. 



26 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

Indeed pulling a hundredth of a second too soon 
or the hundredth of a second too late will make 
more difference as to where our shot charge lands 
than any variation that can occur with the finest 
sight or no sight at all. 

While I am opposed on principle to the novice 
learning to sight a shotgun with one eye shut 
or both eyes open, in fact to sighting the arm 
at all, believing that so taught he can never be- 
come a first rate performer on all sorts of game, 
yet I have seen so much excellent work in wild- 
fowl shooting by men who closed one eye or who 
focused on the sight that I hesitate to say it is 
not an effective style of firing at ducks or any 
bird of large size that is habitually outlined 
against the sky. In shooting of this kind the 
game is often seen while approaching and allow- 
ance can be made for the time required to focus 
on the sights; neither is it requisite that the gun 
be handled with such rapidity as in ordinary up- 
land work. 

Success with wildfowl is more due to correct 
estimates of distance and speed of flight than to 
manner of aiming, and since there is never any 
question of being able to see the bird, even with 
half an eye, it is probable that any system of 
sighting or pointing the gun can be made about 
equally effective. 



''AIMING'' THE GUN 27 

Binocular Shooting — Two-Eye Aiming 

Two-eye aiming, or binocular shooting, has all 
the advantages of closing one eye even for rifle 
firing while a distinctly clearer view of the target 
is obtained and distances can be estimated more 
positively. All of us who were taught to close 
one eye can well remember that the instant we 
blinded the left eye to find the sight, the bird at 
once appeared to be a great deal farther away. 
I can recall that more than once when a boy I had 
shut the left eye and then decided that the quail 
was out of range, after which I opened both eyes 
and found it still well within reach. 

It is no doubt true that with only one eye a 
gunner could finally learn to judge distances as 
well as though he had the use of both, but when 
from birth to age he uses both eyes to see and 
estimate distances a million times to where he 
does once with an eye shut, it reasonably follows 
that he will do better work in the style in which 
he has been trained, even though that training 
were not with a gun. Therefore we can take it 
as a simple statement of fact that with both eyes 
open we can the most accurately estimate the dis- 
tance that game is from us, the speed of its flight, 
and the lead necessary in order to kill. More- 
over we can secure equally fine sight with both 



^8 



WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 



eyes open, either with shotgun or rifle, provided 
one eye alone governs the line of sight or is fo- 
cused upon the sights. This eye is then said to 
be the master eye for the reason that the brain 




Gun-Pointing — With Both Eyes Open 

pays attention only to what this eye is doing. 
The other eye sees just the same, but of its vision 
the brain fails to keep any record. 

Ordinarily it is supposed that the master eye 



''AIMING'' THE GUN 29 

has the stronger vision, which entitles it to gov- 
ern, but this does not follow by any means. In 
shooting from the right shoulder the right eye 
controls, not because its strength is greater, but 
for the simple reason that the brain has been 
trained to register only what this eye sees. It 
may be the stronger eye or it may not, nor would 
this make much difference unless its vision were 
extremely defective while that of the other was 
normal. Ninety-nine times in a hundred one eye 
governs the line of sight entirely because it has 
been trained to do this and for no other reason. 

The usual manner of testing the eyes for shoot- 
ing is to hold up an object a proper distance 
from them and align it with a point beyond while 
keeping both eyes open. Now close the left eye 
and if the alignment doesn't change, the right eye 
governs, but if on shutting the left eye the line of 
aim swings to the left the wrong optic has been 
in control, and the student will have to begin 
training the right eye to assume the mastery or 
learn to shoot from the left shoulder. Either can 
be done, but it is much simpler and easier as a rule 
to put the brain to making its records from the 
proper eye. It might be noted, in passing, that 
in ease of an experienced shot no eye tests are 
necessary, for the one with which he has been 
accustomed to sighting is certain to govern. 



30 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

The style of aiming with both eyes open may 
be exactly the same as with one closed; that is, 
the gun is brought up and there is a slight pause 
long enough for the eye to find the front sight 
which is then placed upon the point of aim. The 
focusing of the eye upon the front sight, how- 
ever, will probably not be so sharp as with the 
left eye shut, with the consequence that the vision 
of the game will be less dimmed. The man accus- 
tomed to aiming with one eye closed may find it 
best to teach himself to shoot with both eyes open 
while still focusing upon the sight after his ac- 
quired fashion. However, this is not the favorite 
or most effective mode of two-eye aiming. Modern 
wing shots have pronounced in favor of the 

Caevee Method of Gun Pointing 

While this style of shotgun aiming is of modern 
origin, in fact originated with Doctor Carver, yet 
it is the oldest of all systems of directing a mis- 
sile. It was used by the rock slingers, the spear 
throwers, the dart casters, and was brought to 
the greatest perfection by the long-bowmen. 
Shooting in this fashion an Indian will drive a 
penny from between a split stick with half his 
shots at fifty feet, or strike a running deer at 
three hundred, and doubtless the Anglo-Saxon 
bowmen were much better shots than any Indian. 



''AIMING'' THE GUN 81 

Gun pointing was the recognized manner of 
aiming of all our western " bad men " and gun 
fighters whose gun play was entirely too rapid to 
be directed by any description of gun sights. 
In combined quickness and accuracy, from foot or 
horseback, the work of these men has never been 
equaled, but their system of shooting is now be- 
coming a lost art because it was not found the 
best adapted to target practice. Perhaps in 
course of time gun pointing will hold sway in 
short range shooting with every variety of fire- 
arm, for the military tendency at present is to 
encourage rapidity of fire. 

Probably it was from the western gun-fighter 
that Doctor Carver, a western man, got his idea 
of the correct way of sighting a shotgun. If the 
man with the six-shooter could hit nickels thrown 
into the air, rabbits running, a man on a gallop- 
ing horse while himself mounted, or swing his 
weapon on a foe with such rapidity that the eye 
could not follow the movements, then why couldn't 
a man with a shotgun place its thirty inch pattern 
upon a flying bird without glueing his eye to any 
sights? Carver believed that it could be done, 
and he showed the skeptical until everybody was 
ready to go away and do likewise. 

Gun pointing has been miscalled instinctive aim- 
ing, though in reality there is nothing instinctive 



$2 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

about it. There can be nothing instinctive in 
doing a thing that we have learned to accom- 
plish through repeating a performance thousands 
of times. It is merely perfecting an art that we 
have been acquiring from babyhood, that of being 
able to point the finger or something else directly 
at an object toward which we are looking fixedly. 
We might as well say that we write instinctively, 
because we give no thought to what the next 
stroke will be. In civilized human beings train- 
ing takes the place of instinct which is a very 
imperfect factor, though it must be admitted that 
every man has inherited tendencies. 

Shooting a pistol in the old western way con- 
sisted simply in extending the hand quickly in the 
direction of the target and pulling on the instant. 
This one-hand gun pointing is the most natural 
method and the easiest to acquire because we have 
been at it a good many years before we ever 
gripped a gun. Shooting a shotgun differs from 
it only in that the piece is pointed with both hands 
in place of one, and while the method is more 
difficult to acquire it is steadier and more reliable, 
because with the butt of the weapon at the shoul- 
der and both hands holding it we have a firmer 
control than if the piece were directed entirely 
with the one hand. Shooting a shotgun in the 
Carver fashion, in its primary principle, Is merely 



''AIMING'' THE GUN 33 

training the two hands to point at the exact spot 
at which the eyes are looking or the brain di- 
rects, without any lost motion or focus upon 
sights. 

Shooting a revolver in the western manner, with 
movement of hand too fast for the eye to follow, 
is in reality juggling a pistol, and muscles and 
nerves must undergo the same training as those 
of a juggler who keeps half a dozen balls in the 
air with one hand. The wing-shot who aims by 
pointing also juggles his weapon in a way, though 
the training necessary to do this is not so severe 
because the movements are not especially rapid. 
Nevertheless he undergoes a degree of training 
that insures his weapon being aligned automatic- 
ally or without conscious effort before he becomes 
an expert shot. When he has reached a stage 
where none of the movements of his piece require 
conscious supervision, then they are said to be In- 
stinctive, though, as we have seen, instinct has 
nothing whatever to do with it ; it is training pure 
and simple. 

The advantages of pointing a shotgun in place 
of getting the eye close down to the barrels and 
aligning rib and sight are these: Point your fin- 
ger at an object quickly, without any effort to 
sight or closing an eye, and you will find that 
while it is directed precisely, yet nevertheless you 



34 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

are glancing some distance above the finger. Now 
close one eye and you will note at once a tendency 
to drop the head and sight the finger. The same 
optical principle applies to pointing and sighting 
a gun; under the former system you naturally 
keep the barrels well down out of the line of 
vision, but at the same time direct them at an 
object with exactly the same precision as in the 
other way. 

Moreover in pointing a gun by means of a 
thorough training of the hands, you are in a 
measure independent of fit of gunstock. Indeed, 
in my own experience and that of others, any gun 
can be shot accurately so long as the drop of stock 
is not so great as to bring the barrels within the 
line of sight, or where they will interfere with a 
clear view of the target. Correct alignment is 
not nearly so dependent upon drop of stock as it 
is upon the position of the two hands grasping 
grip and fore-end. 

For instance, if you are accustomed -to a gun 
that is grasped nearly in the line of fire, and you 
then attempt to shoot with one having a deep fore- 
end which places the left hand low, or a piece with 
grip set low behind the frame, you will at once 
note a feeling of uncertainty as to where you are 
pointing. I should therefore conclude that an ac- 
customed grip and fore-stock were of as much 



''AIMING'' THE GUN 35 

importance as drop at comb and grip. Addition- 
ally it should be noted that if the hands are to do 
the pointing unassisted by sights, they should 
grasp the piece well apart, that is with the left 
hand extended as far as possible without strain, 
and the places where they grip the arm should 
never vary an iota. 

Given a gun that I have grown to with use, 
I find that I can shoot as effectively when hold- 
ing my face several inches from the gunstock, 
really not inclining the head toward the stock in 
the least, but holding it perfectly erect, some 
inches above the line of the barrels and well to 
one side. I have further dropped my head to- 
ward the left shoulder in place of the right and 
struck my bird with the same facility, proving 
that the hands were accomplishing their work 
automatically without regard to the position of 
the sighting eye with reference to the line of 
sight. Dropping the stock low on the shoulder, 
or jamming the comb tight against the cheek 
made not a particle of difference so long as the 
automatic action of the hands was not interfered 
with by trying to govern them directly by means 
of the sight. 

In gun pointing the sight should never be seen, 
nor rib, nor barrel, neither should they be even 
thought of, for if the eye is permitted to interfere 



36 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

with the calculations of the brain, two bosses of 
equal authority are installed, with the obvious re- 
sult that nothing will be accomplished. In this 
style of aiming the gun should be swung methodi- 
cally, with mechanical uniformity of movement, 
and the trigger pressed the moment you feel that 
the aim is correct. No mystery need be made of 
this feeling of being right, for it is merely the 
signal of the brain to the nerves that the work has 
been well accomplished. The same feeling is in 
evidence when a baseball pitcher has released a 
ball which he knows will split the pan, or when 
the billiardist or golf player has made a true 
stroke. 

In gun pointing long and short barrels can be 
shot with much less variation in the holding than 
when the eye governs the line of sight, for with 
the latter method a long sighting plane is a posi- 
tive advantage. The hands will do their work with 
the same facility be the barrels long or short, 
since these are never seen, but length of tubes is 
to be preferred for other than sighting reasons, 
as balance of the arm, steadiness in swinging to a 
given point, reduced recoil, etc. 

Relative to the rapidity of shooting under the 
two systems, when a rifle is fired the two sights are 
first placed exactly in a line which is then directed 
to the point of aim. Should this line of sight not 



''AIMING" THE GUN 37 

cover the target precisely the piece is not dis- 
charged but the sights are swung on again and 
again before the trigger is pulled; it may take 
the rifleman from fifteen to sixty seconds to se- 
cure a satisfactory aim and pull. This sort of 
aiming is absolutely impracticable in shotgun 
shooting for obvious reasons, in fifteen seconds 
the target might be two or three hundred yards 
away. 

In some descriptions of wing-shooting, as quail 
or ruffed grouse in the woods, the gun is dis- 
charged within three-quarters of a second after 
the brain has realized that the bird is on the 
wing; during this length of time the shooter takes 
position, brings his gun to his shoulder, selects 
the point of aim, directs his piece there, and 
presses the trigger. No " second sight " can be 
obtained under such circumstances, whatever er- 
ror the eye may detect at the instant of firing, 
and accuracy is absolutely dependent upon the 
mechanical training of the hands which direct the 
gun. By putting the eye and mind upon the gun- 
sights these can be noted very clearly, but while 
doing this the bird is lost. 

The one advantage in " sighting," among all its 
disadvantages, is that the novice can more readily 
detect errors in holding. He cannot prevent the 
shot he is firing from going wrong, but he may be 



38 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

able to analyze every movement of his piece and 
so discover which particular feature needs correc- 
tion; he might be making some mistake with me- 
chanical regularity and certainty, just as in writ- 
ing he may produce some ill formed letter and be 
quite unable to alter its form except with deliber- 
ate care. Perhaps it is true that a high degree of 
skill in gun pointing is the result of a post-gradu- 
ate course in wing-shooting rather than the A.B.C. 
of the art. 

Now there may be doubt in the mind of the 
beginner or others as to whether a shotgun can 
be pointed accurately enough invariably to place 
the pattern upon the target, for it is not claimed 
that sufficient precision can be developed for de- 
liberate rifle shooting. With a view to settling 
this question the writer made, a series of experi- 
ments at twenty yards with a 22 rifle from which 
the sights had been removed. 

With a well balanced rifle, handling like a shot- 
gun, balls after ball could be placed in a six-inch 
circle, the majority of them going into a four inch. 
No attempt was made to level or even see the bar- 
rel and the arm was fired with the same rapidity 
as a shotgun at quail. 

In order to be sure that the barrel was not be- 
ing leveled or sighted a blinder was built up on 
tlie barrel over the position of the ordinary rear 



''AIMING'' THE GUN S9 

sight; any attempt to sight over this would have 
thrown the bullets two feet high. After a few 
shots the results were just the same as before, 
and so long as the target could be seen the gun 
could be pointed there with ample accuracy to 
kill every bird with a shotgun. Diagrams are here 
presented of ten-shot targets made in this fashion, 
both with the naked barrel and the blinder at- 




Three Ten-Shot Targets Made With a .^2 
Rifle at 20 Yards With a Blinder Over 
THE Rear Sight, Showing the Ef- 
fect OF Binocular Gun 
Pointing 
tached. Of course such shooting is dependent 
somewhat upon the skill of the marksman, but so 
is any other kind of shooting for the matter of 
that. 

In some measure every man must be a law unto 
himself in his work with a gun. While I use the 
pointing system of aiming for all game, yet some 
of my shooting acquaintances tell me that whereas 
they can point very accurately at anything flying 



40 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

near the ground, at birds passing overhead they 
have a feeling of uncertainty as to where they are 
holding that leads them to prefer aligning the 
barrels by direct sight of eye in such work. 
Doubtless it is all much a matter of training and 
habit. 



CHAPTER III 

SNAP-SHOOTING, DELIBERATE SWING, AND 
RAPID SWING 

ALMOST every writer on the topic of field 
shooting will at some time mention making 
a snap shot at a bird, or perhaps covering 
another and then swinging ahead before firing. 
The reader can readily gather from these essays 
that snapping is a very prompt way of delivering 
a shot, while the swing is both more deliberate 
and more accurate. It is not likely, however, 
that, taught by books solely, the student will ever 
be able to fix in his own mind exactly what a 
snap shot is nor what constitutes a swinging shot, 
further than that one is discharged in much the 
shorter time. Still less will he have grounds for 
deciding which particular style of shooting he 
ought himself to adopt. 

The object of this chapter is to analyze these 
systems of aiming, making as plain as possible 
what constitutes a snap shot, what a deliberate 
swing, and the difference in principle between a 
deliberate and a rapid swing. Simple diagrams 

41 



42 



WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 



and drawings are used to illustrate with the hope 
of making the subject plainer to the beginner in 
wing-shooting. 

The term " line of swing " will be used fre- 
quently in this chapter so it is well to give an 
early explanation of its meaning. The accom- 




RouGH Snap, Semi-Snap, and Rapid Swing 

panying diagram shows the line of swing. It is 
the line covered by the moving gunsights from 
the time the piece strikes the shoulder or the 
sights are caught to where they are pointed when 
the gun is fired. The character of this gun move- 
ment or sight movement constitutes the difference 
in the three styles of gun aiming. 

Technically, snap shooting has no line of swing, 
the aim being taken before the gun is brought up, 



SNAP-SHOOTING 48 

the sights are thrown directly to the desired point 
and the arm is discharged the instant the butt 
hits the shoulder. While this is snap shooting 
proper, it is a very ineffective manner of firing 
even at an object at rest, for the reason that when 
the butt jams into the shoulder muscles the latter 
give and then rebound, causing the gun muzzle 
to vibrate to such an extent as to insure a miss 
except with a very wide spread of pattern. Se- 
lecting a point of aim before the gun is thrown 
to the shoulder is making a pretty fine calcula- 
tion too, it must be admitted; the bird might 
spring to the north of you, and without a mo- 
ment's hesitation you would have to know the pre- 
cise spot to the northwest where the shot charge 
would meet it. 

Such absolute judgment of speed and angle of 
flight is next to impossible, and the experienced 
gunner never attempts snap shooting in this 
fashion, except when he perceives that the oppor- 
tunity to shoot at all will be so fleeting that it is 
either a rough snap shot or none. Impressed 
with the belief that wing-shooting is merely jerk- 
ing up the gun and lamming away, the novice is 
liable to practice just this sort of snapping, with 
the result that when he does hit he cannot tell 
why, nor give a reason for his misses. The ex- 
pert who can handle his gun like a part of him- 



44 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

self cannot shoot successfully in this manner, much 
less a tyro. 

There is another style of snap shooting, how- 
ever, that is widely practiced b}^ nearly all clever 
upland shots. It consists of throwing the gun 
close to the game with the motion of bringing 
it to the shoulder, but always sufficiently under 
it. From this point beneath the target the line 
of sight travels in a direct line with great quick- 
ness to the point of aim where the gun is dis- 
charged. 

Suppose a grouse has sprung from the brush 
and is circling to the left and rising. It has been 
estimated that a grouse or a quail will be ten 
feet into the air before a man's mind can give his 
nerves and muscles any instruction whatever. 
Then if a rough snap shot were to be made the 
gun would be at once slung ahead of the bird 
and there fired. The difficulty of making such a 
shot is obvious. In the first place the motion of 
raising a gun to the shoulder is complicated com- 
pared with moving to a given spot after it is up 
and steady. Moreover in a rough snap there is 
never any change of aim from the spot the mind 
estimates as right. The gun is simply thrown to 
that place and fired. 

Orders have been given which the mind cannot 
alter if it would, and even should the bird be killed 



SNAP-SHOOTING 45 '' 

meantime by another gunner the snapped piece 
would inevitabl^^ be discharged precisely the same 
at that square. Thus we see that the problems 
confronting the rough snap shot are: a mechani- 
cal inability to jam a gun to the shoulder and 
shoot to a given spot and the extraordinary 
judgment required to foretell where the bird will 
be when the arm is ready to fire. 

We have all heard of some snap shots that were 
as quick as lightning, and of course if this were 
literally so the shot could be sent to the first 
possible place, but it should be remembered that 
the man Is probably walking with his gun down, 
and during the short space of say half a second 
he must get his feet into position, make his esti- 
mates, and bring up his gun — meantime the bird 
will be doing something you may be sure, cover- 
ing not less than twenty-five feet. Nevertheless 
it is not to be doubted that the quicker the 
shooter, the lighter his gun, and the more open 
his pattern, the simpler his problem becomes. 

At best, however, shooting in this fashion, an 
expert could not expect to connect with more than 
one bird in three. Knowing this the skilled wing- 
shot would never attempt the rough snap except 
that suppose at the natural place of aim there was 
a tree with brush beyond. Reaching this tree, 
the grouse would be safe so nothing remains but 



4f6 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

to <;hance the lightning snap. It follows that the 
novice should never deliver a rough snap unless 
any other kind of an aim is impossible either be- 
cause the bird will be out of sight or possibly out 
of range; in either of which events it is to be 
preferred to not shooting at all. 

The second or practical style of snap shooting 
is much more reliable. With this method the gun 
is thrown up below the target, first, that the view 
of the game may not be obscured in the least; 
second, that time may be given to the gun muzzle 
to cease its vibrations ere it covers the point of 
aim; third, that while the line of sight is moving 
steadily yet rapidly to the point where the charge 
is to go the .trigger finger can be given due warn- 
ing to pull; fourth, the estimates for lead and 
speed of flight are greatly simplified because only 
taken from the time the gun is up and not from the 
rising of the bird. The problem here is to make 
the line of swing cross the line of flight of the bird, 
and this is comparatively easy. 

In its principle rough snap shooting is to throw 
the gun to the point of aim without a line of 
swing. That of semi-snap shooting is to intersect 
the line of flight with the line of swing in the 
shortest and most direct way. For instance with 
some angles of flight the gun might be thrown 
too far ahead and then the " line of aim " would 



SNAPSHOOTING 47 

be carried back toward the flying target. Natur- 
ally this happens seldom unless the bird changes 
his course, the skilled shot endeavoring to throw 
up his weapon in such a position that it will only 
be necessary to lift it straight to the spot where 
it will be fired. 

The more accurate the judgment of the sports- 
man as to the bird's speed of flight, the nearer he 
will come to throwing his piece to the proper 
place with a consequent shorter line of swing and 
a quicker shot. But in doing this it should not 
be forgotten that the line of aim must always be 
of sufficient length to steady the gun before it 
covers the mark and to fairly warn the pulling 
finger. Otherwise you are on the bird, as they 
say, before you know it, and the result is an 
almost inevitable miss. This not infrequently 
happens with straightaway birds, where in the 
nature of things the swing is short and is a most 
productive and irritating source of misses. In- 
deed, it is an axiom with veteran field shots that 
the driving bird requires the steadiest of all hold- 
ing. 

Successful snap shooting necessitates a very 
quick and sensitive trigger. Bear in mind that 
the line of swing merely intercepts the line of 
flight and can only do so at one point, at one 
instant; any dwelling upon the trigger, a pres- 



48 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

sure that comes the smallest fraction of a second 
too soon or too late, leads to certain missing. 
The bird may be traveling fifty feet a second, the 
line of swing a hundred feet a second or more; 
should the trigger yield the hundredth of a 
second fast or slow the game will be missed a foot. 
Any irregularity of trigger pulling is fatal, and 
a man who needs a greater time than a fiftieth of 
a second to release his trigger had better adopt 
some other style of aiming. 

Snap shooting or semi-snap shooting is an 
effective style of aiming only upon birds that are 
not changing their angle with regard to the gun 
too rapidly — that is upon straightaway or quar- 
tering birds. Should the quarry rise and swing 
about the gun would inevitably have to follow it 
if the piece came up promptly, or a swift flying 
fowl might come in from the right and pass to the 
left before it could be covered, with the result 
that the gun would have to swing after and over- 
take it before being discharged. This would lead 
to the third mode of aiming, technically known as 
a rapid swing. 

In this style the line of swing either travels di- 
rectly along the line of flight or preferably takes 
a parallel course just beneath it for the sake of 
an unobstructed view. The working principle of 
the rapid swing is that the gun is invariably 



SNAP-SHOOTING 49 

aligned behind the bird and the " line of aim " is 
then swung after it much faster than the bird is 
moving, until it overtakes and passes the moving 
mark to the point where the charge is sent to 
catch the bird. 

The strength of this system of gun aiming lies 
in this : The gun moving in the path of flight of 
the game takes the elevation automatically. In 
ilustration of this, should the bird be rising the 
line of swing rises also and will continue to do 
so after passing the bird, necessarily striking its 
mark unless the course of the target alters radi- 
cally. Of course an identical rule would apply 
were the bird descending, climbing, or taking any 
other angle of elevation so long as the line of 
swing followed the line of flight and passed it 
the proper distance. 

Rapid swing simplifies lead also, for should the 
line of swing be traveling three times as fast as 
the bird flies an estimated lead of one foot would 
place the charge three feet ahead of the bird, the 
gain being made during the interim of pressing 
the trigger and the passage of the shot up the 
barrel. Moreover it must be borne in mind that 
now the line of aim is not intersecting that of 
flight but traveling with it, which permits con- 
siderable latitude in trigger pulling. Should the 
gunner be a trifle quick or slow the charge, still 



50 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

being in line, will probably catch the mark with 
some portion of the pattern. 

Almost every skillful wildfowl gunner uses the 
rapid swing, and many do so in the uplands as 



The Difference in Lead Between a Snap 
Shot and a Swinging Shot 

well. Birds with a speed of from sixty to one 
hundred miles an hour are entirely too fast to be 
snapped with any certainty. 

The diagram indicates the diiference in lead 



SNAP-SHOOTING 51 

between a swinging shot and a snap shot. The 
bird is supposed to be distant from the gun one 
hundred feet, and is traveling at the rate of one 
hundred feet a second. The normal velocity of 
a shot charge over a one hundred foot course is 
eight hundred feet a second, and at this velocity 
it would require one-eighth of a second for the 
pellets to reach the mark. In one-eighth of a 
second the fowl would fly twelve and a half feet 
which is the theoretical lead necessary for shot 
and target to connect. If the line of aim inter- 
sects the line of flight at right angles — as in snap 
shooting — the full theoretical lead must be taken, 
and if there is any dwelling upon the trigger a 
further allowance must be given. 

But with a swinging shot in which the line of 
aim travels three times as fast as the bird, this 
sighting line will move six feet in the fiftieth of a 
second required for a quick man to pull the trig- 
ger and for the passage of the shot up the barrel. 
Hence we have lead for a snap shot twelve and a 
half feet, lead for a swinging shot six and a half 
feet. In case of the man who requires the maxi- 
mum length of time to pull, or 6-100 of a second, 
a further lead of six feet would have to be given 
with a snap shot, or a total of eighteen and a half 
feet. No man could make such an estimate. 

By consulting experienced wing-shots it will 



52 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

be learned that hardly any two of them will make 
the same estimate for the lead necessary to kill at 
a given distance ; neither theoretically nor practi- 
cally are they holding at the same place. In fact 
with the rapid swing every man is a law unto him- 
self, the distance he holds ahead being governed 
by the rapidity of his swing, his time in trigger 
pulling, and his habit of maintaining a uniform 
gun movement after pressing the trigger. One 
shooter might swing rapidly but would check his 
piece at the moment of firing and so lose all the 
advantage of swinging; another would accelerate 
the motion of his muzzle at the instant of firing 
and so gain more than six feet. The same thing 
could be done by the individual of slow trigger, 
who if he pulled in 6-100 of a second could actu- 
ally gain eighteen feet and would not need to 
make any lead at all — neither would he hit any- 
thing, for it might well be stated now that a pull 
of as slow as six one-hundredths of a second is 
quite too slow for wing-shooting. 

Nevertheless some of the best duck shots that I 
have ever known stated positively that they made 
no allowance whatever for speed of flight or dis- 
tance of the mark further than to merely hold in 
front and swing. Watching them at work, I ar- 
rived at the conclusion that they made the neces- 
sary gain entirely by the rapidity with which they 



SNAP-SHOOTING 58 

swung — for all of them moved their pieces very 
swiftly — and not by any hesitation on the trigger. 

Doubtless the acme of wing-shooting is to be 
able to swing with such rapidity and uniformity 
as to obviate the necessity for any lead, but it 
will not do for the novice to attempt to graduate 
his first year in school. Indeed, the average 
sportsman never learns to shoot in this way, 
neither should he endeavor to do so unless so 
situated that he can fire shot after shot, days, 
weeks, and months in succession. 

Indeed the swifter the swing the graver the 
problem of so governing it that the shot can be 
placed with sufficient precision to strike the mark. 
The neophyte can readily learn this for himself 
by attempting to shoot at a stationary mark while 
swinging the gunsights past it. Experience soon 
teaches the gunner about how fast he can swing 
successfully, and his endeavor henceforth should 
be to make this swing as mechanically uniform 
as possible, studying carefully the results which 
he secures from it. 

A semi-snap shot and a rapid swing may readily 
merge into one another. The gunner may throw 
up his weapon with a view to making a snap shot, 
but finding the bird has passed his gun, he must 
needs swing after it. In the same way when in- 
tending to place his piece upon the line of the 



54 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

bird's flight he might fall below it, being then 
obliged to both swing with the bird and to raise 
his gun to intersect its flight. 

The two styles of aiming are readily used in 
conjunction, also, as in live pigeon shooting where 
the shooter ordinarily makes a practical snap 
with the first barrel and a rapid swing with the 
second. A like system is preferred by the crack 
field shot who snaps with his first barrel before 
the game is at top speed and then swings on with 
the second should he miss. One thing must for- 
ever be borne in mind by the swinging shot and 
that is never to check the gun when pulling the 
trigger. 

In upland shooting upon such game as quail, 
snipe, chickens, partridge, and woodcock, birds 
that rise near the gun, nearly every shot can be 
taken without any allowance for lead or elevation, 
it being necessary merely to swing upon the line 
of flight past the game and fire with the result of 
killing nine birds out of ten, which is a pretty 
good percentage in any event. The truth is that 
in such work, especially in the brush, there is no 
time to think of allowance for lead, but this can 
always be secured automatically by swinging, and 
therein is the advantage over any description of 
snap shot. 

There remains to be described the deliberate 



SNAP-SHOOTING 55 

swing. It fits in with the old one-eye manner of 
aiming and is becoming antiquated along with it. 
With the deliberate swing the game is first covered 
usually by throwing the line of sight in front of 
it, and then moving with the target, at the proper 
distance in advance until the trigger is pulled. 
The principle involved is to maintain the requisite 
lead while the trigger is being pressed, continuing 
the swing at the same rate until the charge is out 
of the gun. In theory this system of aiming is 
the most accurate of all, because whether the 
trigger is pressed instantly or dwelt upon the 
pattern will with like certainty reach the desired 
lead. For instance, if the line of aim is traveling 
three feet in advance of the line of flight, which 
distance is maintained until the shot are on the 
way, it cannot matter whether the trigger is 
pressed in 1-100 of a second or 6-100. 

Obviously with this system of aiming no gain 
is made by the swing and the same allowance for 
speed and distance is required as though the tar- 
get was snapped. 

The trouble with this mode of aiming is that 
it develops a very slow, poky, pottering style. 
There being no precise moment when the trigger 
must be pulled, the gunner almost invariably ac- 
quires the ill habit of dwelling upon the trigger. 
For this reason the deliberate swing cannot be 



56 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

used upon any game that is quick in its move- 
ments, that swerves and dodges like a snipe or a 
quail. Hence such a slow system of aiming is 
not adapted to anything except waterfowl or 
such birds as are seen approaching and remain 
within gun shot some time. 

I have seen most excellent work upon wildfowl 
by those who swung deliberately in front of the 
target and am ready to believe that the style 
can be made very effective upon such birds. In 
duck shooting where the birds are passing and 
have acquired maximum speed it certainly has the 
advantage of any sort of snap work. 

Nevertheless my advice to the beginner would 
be to acquire the rapid swing. It accomplishes 
everything that can be done with the deliberate 
and does it quicker and better, with a minimum of 
nerve expenditure. It requires double the ex- 
penditure of nerve force to shoot deliberately that 
it does to pull quickly, and no man should en- 
deavor to develop the slow style unless nature has 
made him steady and phlegmatic. 



CHAPTER IV 



PEIMARY LESSONS 



ALMOST every boy with an inborn taste for 
shooting will have learned to aim a gun 
and pull trigger before he becomes old 
enough to tramp widely afield or handle a fowl- 
ing piece. Emphatically is this true of the youth 
so fortunate as to be born in the country. How- 
ever, there may be youngsters with the ill luck 
to be crowded by houses and people all their lives, 
with whom the longing to hunt and shoot must 
be deferred to more mature years. The city boy 
whose instincts waiting on opportunity, must 
needs survive all urban temptations, makes the 
most determined and enthusiastic of sportsmen 
when finally stock and shoulder fit together. 
Hungry for the fields and the whistle of birds' 
wings, he never gets enough from twenty years to 
his three score and ten. With a view to assist- 
ing him as much as I may in his first lessons 
this chapter is written. 

An old disused barn in the country is a great 
57 



58 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

place for preliminary practice with a shotgun. 
Secure some large sheets of paper, blacken the 
center, and tack them up on the barn. Shoot 
at twenty yards because at that distance the pat- 
tern will not spread too much to easily observe 
its effect. Select very lightly loaded shells for 
this kind of work, two and a half drams of pow- 
der are enough and lighter loads are better if 
they can be procured. Recoil always appears 
more severe when the target is stationary, and it 
takes practice so to hold the weapon that the 
arms and hands absorb most of the jar. The 
object now is to acquire confidence in yourself 
and the gun, carefully guarding against a ten- 
dency to flinch which is liable to develop into a 
most annoying habit, nearly fatal to good wing 
shooting, 

A few shots should enable the learner to place 
his pattern regularly upon the center of the tar- 
get. When this can be done with a deliberate 
aim begin snapping. Throw the gun quickly to 
the shoulder, pointed at the target, and without 
checking the motion raise it to the center and 
fire as you come up. If the trigger fails to 
yield at the exact time, take the piece down, 
throw it up and try again. What you are striv- 
ing for in this is a correct trigger pull, the lock 
working precisely on time, without any checking 



PRIMARY LESSONS 59 

the gun for a second sight or any attempt to hold 
it still upon the target. 

An axiom of shotgun shooting is that the aim 
is never to be held still upon anything — in this 
differing radically from the rifle. The trigger 
should be pressed, therefore, without checking the 
regular rising movement of the barrels, the pull- 
ing and upward movement of the sight being so 
well timed that the discharge will take place just 
before the center is covered. 

Press the trigger, not by any conscious crook- 
ing of the forefinger, but by tightening the grip 
of both hands, the one pushing forward and the 
other drawing back. This is not only the right 
manner of pulling trigger on a shotgun, but 
tightening the grip of the hands enables the gun- 
ner to catch the recoil just as the blow of a fist 
is warded off before it gathers momentum. 

Having learned to strike the mark with a 
straight upward snap, as directed, now begin 
swinging on from side to side, first from the 
right and then from the left. Swing evenly 
past the target and pull as the line of sight goes 
by, being careful not to check up at the moment 
of firing. Probably this shooting with a right 
and left swing needs practice to obtain the de- 
sired accuracy, but keep at it until the charge 
regularly reaches its mark. Swing slowly at 



60 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

first, but later increase the speed until the center 
can be struck with the piece swinging smartly. 
Doubtless with a rapid swing a tendency will be 
noted for the charge to pass the center on the 
line of aim, but that can be avoided by pulling 
quicker, which is one of the things to be learned. 

With proficiency, vary the line of swing with 
every shot, sometimes coming on from the right, 
again from the left, then straight up and quar- 
tering. These lessons are the foundation of 
wing shooting, so take plenty of time with them 
and do not expect to accomplish everything in 
one day. Twenty-five shots are enough for one 
practice, since among other things you must de- 
velop nerve force rather than expend it to the 
point of exhaustion. Remember that half the 
people who go afield never learn to shoot, and a 
large share of the others spend the remainder 
of their shooting days trying to eradicate the 
bad habits acquired in early youth. 

Having learned to strike your target with a 
gun moving fast or slow, with the line of sight 
swinging in every direction except down, you 
now have command of the gun and can take up 
the second problem, exchanging the stationary 
for a flying target. Here is where shooting 
schools are an advantage since they have a mov- 
able target which travels across the barn at any 



PRIMARY LESSONS 61 

desired angle, with a rate of speed that can be 
regulated from very slow to as fast as a bird 
flies. The benefit of a flying target with a back- 
ground that would instantly show the impact of 
the pattern is not to be doubted, faults of holding 
being detected at once. However, shooting 
schools are not a very common institution in this 
country, though in their place we have the clay 
bird trap and artificial targets. 

If you have access to the grounds of a trap 
shooting club, go there for practice. If possi- 
ble enlist the services of some more experienced 
friend who can point out your errors and in- 
struct you as to where to hold. Stand as close 
to the trap as you like and take only easy, 
straightaway, low flying birds in the beginning, 
later changing to quartering targets. Becoming 
skilled enough to hit these, go out into the field 
and have the birds thrown past you at different 
distances to one side and the other. 

Endeavor to obtain every description of shot 
that is likely to be afforded by field shooting. 
Have the birds thrown while walking up on the 
trap with gun down in its ordinary carrying po- 
sition, and instruct the trapper to start his bird 
at unexpected times, even when your back is 
turned when he should of course warn you as the 
target starts. A like method should be fol- 



62 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

lowed when the gun is out in the field. Natur- 
ally the nearer conditions can be made to ap- 
proach field shooting the more valuable the prac- 
tice. Getting behind the traps, with gun to 
shoulder, and shooting at birds always at the same 
angle of flight teaches very little except mechan- 
ical regularity of performance which can be ac- 
quired at the barn. But rightly used artificial 
targets can be made a very beneficial experience. 

The English method is to mount the traps in 
a tower from which the birds are thrown over the 
shooter's head and past him. Such practice 
would prove very helpful to the inexperienced 
duck shot, as it is with the British driven game. 
Unfortunately our gun clubs never mount their 
traps in a tower or endeavor to teach anything 
except the making of big scores. For this rea- 
son a man may become an expert at the traps and 
yet possess but a trifling amount of skill in the 
field. 

The writer, a country boy, with no clay tar- 
gets to shoot at, got his first lessons in pass 
shooting by means of an arrow-shaped piece of 
wood known as a dart. The dart is driven by 
means of a short stick, similar to the rod of a fly 
fisherman, though not so long and limber. This 
rod has a short, strong line with a knot in the end 
which engages with a notch cut into the dart 



PRIMARY LESSONS 63 

about one-third of the way from the point, the 
dart being cast by means of an overhead swing 
the same as in throwing a fly. Our dart can be 
made of light, cheap wood, from three to five 
feet long, with a large, flat head and a broad 
shank. It can be sent a distance of one hundred 
and fifty yards, with a velocity in the beginning 
of its flight higher than that attained by any 
bird. 

The object is to strike the broad head of the 
dart and if the charge falls back anywhere else 
along its length the novice knows that he has not 
made sufficient allowance for speed and distance. 
When thrown rapidly the flight of this projec- 
tile is practically level, neither does it lose ve- 
locity as quickly as an artificial clay bird. The 
dart can be thrown at any desired angle except 
straight away from the gun. Practice at the 
dart is especially good training for flight shoot- 
ing at wildfowl, and the boy who has become ex- 
pert in striking the head of a shaft traveling a 
hundred and fifty feet a second will have little 
trouble in connecting with ducks or any bird of 
similar flight. Of course a good assistant is 
necessary to this kind of practice, but any ath- 
letic boy .will enjoy casting the dart as much as 
the gunner will shooting at it. 

Shooting at clay birds as they are commonly 



64 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

thrown at gun club meets is not without benefit 
to the upland gunner, but the experience avails 
the marsh shooter very little : indeed, his acquired 
habit of holding close to his birds is very hard to 
overcome even when he has learned where to hold. 
Not so the man who shoots at a dart which may 
be traveling two hundred feet a second ; he neces- 
sarily learns to get out in front — away out. 

A hand trap is a convenience where club 
grounds and traps may not be available. They 
throw the same clay birds as the ground traps, 
but are held in the hand which enables the target 
to be sent in any direction. Good practice can 
be made by having the assistant throw the bird 
at unexpected times when both are walking along. 
The shooter thus learns to be alert, promptly 
bringing up his gun to take the bird that rises 
without warning. The trapper may walk be- 
hind and send his target past the gun, or even be 
hidden by hedge and cover, in which case he should 
call sharply when starting the bird. 

Keep up the snapping and swinging practice 
at the stationary target, at the clay birds, and 
the dart until expert. It will teach you just as 
much as getting out into the fields and banging 
away at non-game birds, which is a very un- 
sportsmanlike thing to do as will be discovered 
should it ever be attempted in the presence of a 



PRIMARY LESSONS 66 

veteran bird hunter. Besides shooting song 
birds is generally forbidden by law. 

In all this time do not forget that your en- 
deavor is to make the gun a sort of third arm 
that will point anywhere you wish as readily as 
the arm can be thrown in that direction. When 
no other practice is available, take up the gun in 
your room or back yard, and placing some empty 
shells in the chambers, exercise your pointing 
skill by throwing the piece up quickly, covering 
some object and pulling the trigger. This is a 
very valuable drill, alike beneficial to the tyro and 
the expert. Indeed you can hardly get too much 
of it, only do not be careless with the work but 
put heart into it. 

We have all laughed about the Englishman who 
throws up his walking stick to sight every bird 
that flies past, but really the Briton is right, for 
there is horse sense in just that kind of practice. 

In your target shooting at the barn you may 
discover that the firing can be accomplished with 
greater precision by stopping the gun at the ex- 
act instant of pressing the trigger, but do not 
allow that to influence you or change your 
scheme of pulling trigger with a moving gun. A 
dangerous habit may become fixed, one that will 
have to be overcome later when it is found neces- 
sary for the arm to keep pace with the swiftest 



66 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

flying game. Furthermore there is the second 
barrel to be remembered. 

The barn is also a convenient background in 
training to acquire second barrel habits. The 
right use of the second cartridge is to have it 
follow the first invariably where the first barrel 
has crippled or missed, unless two birds have 
sprung at once and you expect to make a double. 
When this is the case make no pause to observe 
the effect of the first shot but continue the swing 
of the tubes until they cover the second target. 

Put up two targets on the barn for second bar- 
rel practice, placing them at first on a horizontal 
line about twenty feet apart. Fire at the right 
hand target and without stopping the swing 
cover the second mark and shoot again. You 
will shortly learn in doing this that some time is 
required to recover from the recoil of the first 
shot, and the gun will be thrown out of line. But 
utilize this time in moving onto the second bulls- 
eye which should be sighted as soon as the piece 
is under control and moving steadily again. 

As the practice continues change the position 
of the targets, sometimes shooting at the right 
hand first and again at the left; then place one 
above the other at different angles and various 
distances apart. Quicken the time as you be- 
come expert until not over half a second is re- 



PRIMARY LESSONS 67 

quired to get onto the second, pull, and shoot. A 
lightning second barrel shot can swing on with 
his second barrel and shoot accurately in a quar- 
ter of a second, which is the standard of rapidity 
that the novice should set for himself. 

The barn with large sheets of paper will indi- 
cate results of this rapid swinging fire more defi- 
nitely than any live or clay birds, so continue this 
work until results are perfect, quick time being 
uniformly maintained with absolute accuracy. 
Keep the piece swinging after the second shot the 
same as the first. 

After the practice I have described the novice 
should have little trouble in connecting with a 
certain number of birds, either in the uplands or 
marsh, the first time he goes afield. There is no 
greater difficulty in placing the pattern upon a 
quail than in striking the clay target, except for 
the added excitement caused by whirring wings 
and the anxiety to make a good showing. 

Overanxiety to appear well or show shooting 
skill to your companion is a fruitful source of 
missing, not only by the beginner, but by the 
older hand alike. Indeed, if overanxiety and 
flinching could be eliminated the majority of us 
would do fifty per cent, better execution. It is 
well therefore for the student of wing shooting to 
go afield with a veteran shot in securing his first 



68 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

experience, one that cannot be considered in any 
sense a rival gunner, but who is anxious to see 
that his young friend performs well rather than 
to display his own skill. If such companionship 
and instruction are unavailable, then go alone 
and study out the problems in your own way. 

Be very careful not to quicken the time you 
have been acquiring, but rather shoot more delib- 
erately, remembering that any bird you fire at 
so quickly as not to be able to recall where the 
gun was held is simply a lost opportunity, no 
matter whether the bird was killed or missed. 
The only method of acquiring a solid foundation 
for future success, is to make your mental calcu- 
lations quickly and then use your gun to prove 
your judgment. In plainer phrases do not shoot 
until you have first decided where to hold, and 
then put the charge right there with all the skill 
you possess, making a mental memorandum of 
every move the bird made, the gun processes 
necessary to cover him, fire, and the results. 

Do not be hurried because your companion is 
quickest, for every human being learns to walk 
before he can run. You could not reasonably 
expect to solve problems in mathematics as read- 
ily as a college professor, and take my word for 
it wing-shooting is no less difficult than mathe- 
matics. 



PRIMARY LESSONS 69 

Do not let misses disturb you, for in the begin- 
ning as much can be learned from missing as from 
hitting, since you have at least been taught where 
not to hold. The man who cannot learn through 
his mistakes will never know a great deal, but be 
sure to analyze errors thoroughly, and know rea- 
sons, otherwise experience and practice will leave 
you about where you started. 

It is a fortunate thing for the earnest young 
sportsman that his mind is impressionable and his 
memory most tenacious. I can clearly recall the 
shots that I made twenty-five years ago; just how 
the bird broke cover, the course of his flight 
where the gun came to the shoulder, how much it 
led when the trigger was pulled, the very weed 
that the bird struck as he fell; even the clumps 
of feathers, sifting down, are still before me. 
Opportunity and circumstances being similar, I 
could repeat the shots in the same old way. None 
but the young could be impressed so graphically, 
and no others learn with such ease. 

It is not necessary that the student should pos- 
sess such memory, however, but the moment a 
shot is fired every detail should be fixed in his 
mind. The better to do this make a systematic 
mental diary. Here the bird arose so many paces 
from the gun, he was at this point when the 
weapon came up, he bore away from the shooter 



70 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

at an angle of forty-five degrees, slightly rising; 
the gun came up just so much behind him, and he 
flew so many yards before being covered and 
fired upon with a lead of two feet; result, a kill. 
Try to recall the exact position of the flying tar- 
get when the mental estimate for lead was made, 
and if the bird flew farther than you think he 
should before being shot perhaps the cause can 
be detected. Remember that a lesson is of no 
value after it is forgotten and do not forget. 
The very first thing to be recorded after the 
mind recovers from the strain of firing is to note 
where the gun is then pointed. It should swing 
right along on the path of the bird's flight, and 
if involuntarily checked at the shot, that is some- 
thing to be studied and corrected. The average 
shot never learns to continue his swing upon the 
line of flight after the bird is dead, but be am- 
bitious to do what the average man cannot accom- 
plish. 

At the close of the day's shooting, take your 
mental diagrams and write them all out on paper. 
Mark upon the sheet where the bird arose, where 
you stood, and every evolution of target and gun 
as previously directed. Study these diagrams 
and fix in your own mind why you killed and why 
you missed. If the shot was a scratch or acci- 
dental write that down, for many such shots are 



PRIMARY LESSONS 71 

made in the course of a season, and these daily 
diagrams are intended for future study. 

If you failed to hit give that drawing especial 
attention, marking the place where you should 
have held. When at a loss as to where the shot 
should have been directed, probably your shoot- 
ing friend can set you right. Above all do not 
again hold for the exact spot that previously re- 
sulted in a failure, unless you can prove to your 
own satisfaction that the miss resulted from other 
causes than faulty lead. 

If the gunner cannot recall his point of aim 
at the instant of firing that is something for 
grave study. It may be that his line of aim is 
swinging so fast that it is impossible to govern 
it ; he really cannot tell where he is aiming at any 
precise moment from the time the weapon comes 
to the shoulder until it is discharged. Again 
perhaps it is a case of unconscious flinching, and 
this is always to be suspected where the shooter 
cannot see where his shot has gone. 

Bear in mind that flinching is not necessarily 
the result of batting the eyes but may be simply 
a cessation of the action of the brain in antici- 
pation of a shock. As a test of flinching shoot 
more deliberately, which will usually betray the 
fault by causing the muzzle to waver before the 
discharge takes place. 



7g WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

I can only repeat again, use the utmost care 
not to make the same mistake in a like way. 
Study and analyze, and your hits will soon teach 
you to kill, while your misses will tell you how 
not to miss again. When desirous of showing 
well, learn to select the bird that you know how 
to kill, the one that is easy for you, be it straight 
away, left quartered, or what not. But if simply 
desirous of improving your shooting, let the easy 
birds go and choose only the hard ones, those 
that you miss frequently. 

Do not permit any overweening desire to ap- 
pear easy and graceful influence you, but shoot 
every shot with all your might. Put strength 
into the work first, and by and by grace will take 
care of itself. You are out to develop nerve 
force, and the only way to do that is to use what 
you have; rather than fire a shot indifferently, 
quit altogether. Nerve force can be developed 
by using it just the same as muscles are strength- 
ened by being exercised. 



CHAPTER V 

SOME SHOOTING PSYCHOLOGY 

TT^ERHAPS the greatest weakness of the av- 
I erage field shot lies in his use of the second 
barrel. From my observations only the 
odd man can place his second charge with prompt 
accuracy, this being particularly true of the clay 
bird performers who from habit fire but one bar- 
rel. The observation applies with equal force 
to the ordinary sportsman, not one in ten of 
whom has a deadly second barrel. Having faith- 
fully endeavored to ascertain the reasons for this, 
I will briefly set forth my conclusions. 

The best second barrel shots that I have seen 
were men trained to live pigeon and wildfowl 
work, varieties of shooting more generally prac- 
ticed twenty years ago than to-day. Live bird 
shooting at the traps is now generally forbidden 
by law, and the fowl are not distributed so widely 
as they once were. The pigeon shooter com- 
monly fired both barrels at every bird, often for 
the sake of safety when the second charge was 
really not necessary to kill. The distance he was 
placed from the traps, from twenty-eight to thir- 

73 



74 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

ty-three yards, made it imperative that he send 
in his loads with the utmost dispatch, a quick 
half-snap with the first and a rapid swing on with 
the second barrel. Then, too, under some rules 
the boundary was so short that the bird must be 
killed in the fraction of a second or it might fall 
out of bounds. 

Trained to such conditions the pigeon shot 
cracked in his second barrel involuntarily, with- 
out a second thought or the least delay to verify 
the effect of the first charge. A hundred or even 
a thousand dollars might depend upon that sec- 
ond barrel driving in true and fast, the man who 
could not learn to place it in a quarter of a sec- 
ond soon dropping out of the game. 

Though the shooting was from unknown 
ground traps, it was nothing unusual for a fast 
bird to be caught within twenty feet of where he 
sprang, and should the first charge fail the sec- 
ond would follow ere the pigeon had gone five 
yards farther. 

Such rapid work as this is not absolutely es- 
sential on game, nevertheless it is the standard 
of excellence which the field sportsman should en- 
deavor to attain. The gunner who cannot de- 
liver his second charge in from a quarter to a half 
second after the first will not find that it avails 
him much, and as a rule he will fall into the com- 



SOME SHOOTING PSYCHOLOGY 75 

mon habit of letting the bird go after it has es- 
caped the first pattern. 

The wildfowl hunter is a good second barrel 
man also, and equally with the pigeon shooter 
from habit. These birds often fly in flocks which 
necessitates the use of both barrels ; additionally 
many single ducks are struck without being 
killed outright which demands the use of the sec- 
ond barrel before the fowl can reach the water 
and dive. 

While the wildfowler is not so sharp as the 
pigeon shot about pulling either his first or sec- 
ond load he is no less accurate and positive about 
it. Like the man of the traps, he knows before 
his piece comes to the shoulder that both barrels 
are to be fired, and hence there is never a delay 
in order to note what the first charge has accom- 
plished. 

The general run of upland shots go at the mat- 
ter differently. Almost invariably they seem to 
believe that the first barrel will surely kill, the 
immediate brain impression when they see the 
bird still going on being one of surprise ; recover- 
ing from this, they either fire the second barrel 
so quickly as to have practically no aim, or a 
slow, pottering second is sent in after the target 
is out of range. Either the unaimed or the pot- 
tering second charge is so generally ineffective 



♦re WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

that the gunner soon comes to depend entirely 
upon his first load. 

Here is the trouble so far as I can analyze it. 
If the second barrel is to do perfect execution, 
the brain must complete its work before the first 
shot is fired. There is absolutely no time to 
think between the first and the second shots, the 
mind retaining barely sufficient control to pre- 
vent the shot going in when the bird is unques- 
tionably a dead one. Indeed, in the case of pi- 
geon shots, the barrel might be delivered involun- 
tarily, whether the bird were dead or alive, this 
not altogether for safety as has been supposed, 
but rather because the finger was predirected to 
pull and there was no time to think or to stop it. 

I have had the same thing happen to me in 
field shooting, when having made up my mind 
previous to delivering the first shot that the bird 
was a hard one and would probably escape, I 
could not avoid sending in the second barrel au- 
tomatically after the bird was dead. This never 
happens except from brain orders that antedated 
the discharge of the first barrel. This is an ex- 
treme style of second barrel work, such prompt- 
ness not being requisite in the field, but it is far 
more effective than the lame, halting method 
generally seen. So true is this that if I were 
coaching a novice in the use of his second charge 



SOME SHOOTING PSYCHOLOGY 77 

he would be required to pull it invariably alike 
when the bird was killed or untouched. 

It follows from the foregoing that where the 
second barrel is to be made deadly there must be 
no pause in the aiming swing of the gun which 
should travel right along on the path of the bird's 
flight ready to be discharged the instant the gun- 
ner recovers from the recoil of the previous shot. 
The swing should be kept so true to the line of 
the bird's flight that in place of the arm hanging 
where first fired, it should be pointing within a 
foot or two of the target when the shooter has 
steadied himself sufficiently to aim again. On 
the other hand, having checked his piece, waiting 
to note the effect of the first load, the marksman 
will find his arm pointing so far from the bird that 
he either has to move the line of aim so rapidly 
that it becomes uncontrollable, or a slow swing 
will permit the game to get beyond range. 

We will take the flight of a quail as an exam- 
ple. Should it break cover at twenty yards, it 
would on the average travel some forty feet before 
being fired upon, which would place Bob White 
distant thirty-three yards for the right barrel, 
delivered in less than a second. Now waiting to 
realize that the game has been missed would give 
the quarry another quarter of a second or fifteen 
feet; then, with a motionless gun, swinging on 



78 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

again from the previous point of aim will con- 
sume an additional half second, tliirty feet, or a 
total of forty-five feet from where the first shot 
was fired, placing the quail forty-eight yards 
from the gun for the second barrel. On the con- 
trary had the swing of the gun been maintained 
automatically the second shot should have been 
placed within twenty feet of the first, catching 
the bird when he was distant forty yards and still 
within reach of a good gun. None of the figures 
have been overdrawn and they can readily be veri- 
fied by observing the efforts of sportsmen afield. 

The Effect of Recoil 

It might be argued that it doesn't require the 
fourth of a second for the mind to realize a miss 
which the eye can see instantly. So it would 
not, except for the effect of shock upon the human 
brain, the shock of recoil. Furthermore, when 
the mind has just concluded a strenuous piece of 
work, like aiming and firing a gun, it pauses an 
instant before tackling a fresh problem. Com- 
bining this cessation of brain recording with the 
shock of recoil which causes the brain to cease 
acting entirely for a space of time, however 
small, and we have a loss of at least a quarter of 
a second — sometimes more. In fact so far has 



SOME SHOOTING PSYCHOLOGY 79 

the bird flown meantime that the gunner despairs 
of being able to reach it and so withholds his fire. 

Recoil and its effects upon the shooter are 
worthy of careful study. It affects everyone, 
but in varying degrees. It has been observed 
that the most noted pigeon shots are men of 
strong physique, some of them seeming almost 
impervious to recoil, on the same principle that 
a pugilist might without blinking an eye take a 
blow on the jaw which would render an ordinary 
man unconscious. The jar of a shotgun's recoil 
and the blow of a fist differ only in the extent of 
shock and the time needed to recover. The shot- 
gun may knock you out for perhaps not more 
than the tenth of a second, while the fist blow 
puts you away for ten minutes. 

Nevertheless, no matter how hardy the consti- 
tution of the man, even a John L. Brewer, there is 
a shorter or longer space of time after a shot is 
fired when he can do nothing except he does it in- 
voluntarily, for the brain has been momentarily 
shocked into a state of coma. Notwithstanding 
this the nerves and muscles can be taught to ac- 
complish orders given previous to this shock, 
maintaining certain actions automatically, or as 
we say from habit. The boxer does this when 
he starts a blow and sends it in after receiving 
such a jarring slap himself that he cannot remem- 



80 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

ber when his own fist landed. If anyone doubts 
the effect of recoil shock upon the brain, let him 
try to recall the movements of his gun muzzle 
immediately subsequent to firing. 

In the case of the writer his first distinct 
knowledge of where his gun is directed is when 
he finds it pointing below the target. Reasoning 
the matter out, he knows that the muzzle first 
flew up and then reacted downward, but from 
anything the brain has actually recorded it sim- 
ply dropped below the point of aim. Accepting 
the foregoing as true we can see the need of ac- 
quiring a habit of maintaining the swing, — such 
an absolutely fixed habit as to require no direct 
brain control. 

Flinching 

However, the shock of recoil doesn't interfere 
with the work of a gunner so much as its antici- 
pation, an anticipation that causes flinching and 
dodging before the shot is fired. Flinching after 
the recoil takes place would not merit much con- 
sideration, in fact would not be flinching. 
Flinching interferes so greatly with the delivery 
of both the first and second barrels, especially the 
latter, that we must analyze and give it full con- 
sideration. 

The commonly accepted conclusion is that in 



SOME SHOOTING PSYCHOLOGY 81 

shooting flinching is due entirely to the fear of 
punishing recoil. It is supposed to consist of 
blinking, and dodging to such an extent as to 
deflect the muzzle, one man perhaps merely blink- 
ing while another dodges, or possibly blinks and 
dodges. My own conclusion is that flinching 
cannot in all cases be analyzed quite so simply as 
that. 

Recoil undoubtedly is a prime factor in the 
trouble, but the sharp report of the gun has its 
influence also, for people with a tendency to flinch 
have noted an improvement in their work where 
a longer barrel was used, thus carrying the stun- 
ning noise farther away from the head. The 
loud report may cause more actual pain also 
than even the jolt of the butt stock. Mr. Roose- 
velt illustrates this in " African Game Trails " 
when telling how the heavy report of his elephant 
rifle caused bleeding of the nose and ears of a 
companion who stood beside him. It is claimed 
for the Maxim Silencer that it greatly lessens 
the inclination to flinch. 

The above causes of flinching are obvious, but 
many flinch when shooting a 22 rifle which has 
neither recoil nor any undue noise. This might 
be ascribed to habit, but people dodge who are 
not in the habit of shooting at all. 

Careful study of the matter has led me to be- 



82 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

lieve that flinching is as much due to the strain 
of aiming and firing as any other cause. It re- 
quires a highly concentrated effort to hold either 
a shotgun or rifle perfectly steady and pull the 
trigger. The mind and nerves may not be able 
to sustain this strain for any great length of 
time, and certainly both are glad to be relieved 
of it as quickly as possible. Sometimes the brain 
gives up the task just an instant too soon, per- 
mitting the muscles to have their will of the piece, 
and of where it might afterward be pointed 
neither the eye nor the brain will take any cog- 
nizance. 

Being overstrained, mind and nerves go on a 
strike, quit temporarily, making no further rec- 
ords until after the discharge takes place. Of 
whatever happens during this interim the shooter 
has no knowledge, though another man standing 
near can observe perfectly, and tell him, gener- 
ally much to the gunner's surprise, and often lit- 
tle to his conviction. Whatever the eye might 
see, if the brain refrained from making any rec- 
ord, that particular thing never happened so far 
as the gunner's mind and memory are concerned. 
This is what renders it extremely diflicult to cure 
flinching, the fact that so far as the marksman's 
own knowledge is concerned it never occurred. 
He did not know it and could not know it except 



SOME SHOOTING PSYCHOLOGY 83 

from the observation of others and a reasonable 
conviction based upon the effects of the shot. 

Moreover the brain sometimes makes records 
with perfect clearness of things which never oc- 
curred. For instance, the shooter notes the 
speed of flight of the target, the velocity with 
which his line of sight is traveling to cover the 
miark, and calculates where he must hold in order 
to connect, but just at this instant the brain 
ceases to act, and the movements it has recorded 
as having taken place were never in fact accom- 
plished. The result is a miss which to the marks- 
man must always remain an absolute mystery. 

The duration of time of which the marksman 
has no record, that is the space in which his brain 
is practically paralyzed, varies greatly with dif- 
ferent individuals, though I am impressed with the 
belief that everyone is affected without exception. 
It might not last longer than the twentieth of a 
second, a time so short that it would have no 
practical influence upon the gunner's work, or it 
might have such duration as to make him very 
slow with the second barrel. 

Moreover the mind may take cognizance of 
what is occurring without being able to take the 
initiative ; it can note what is transpiring without 
having the power to give active commands. Af- 
terwards the shooter can remember what took 



84 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

place and see where he missed an opportunity, 
but cannot tell why he failed to take advantage 
of it. We note examples of this kind in or- 
dinary life; someone may neglect to act at a 
critical period and we say he lacked presence of 
mind — the shock caused a cessation of brain con- 
trol. The brain may either not have been acting 
at all, or it may have been like the engine of an 
automobile that is pounding away with the clutch 
disengaged. In such an event, if muscles and 
nerves accomplish anything they must do it auto- 
matically; the machine could only go forward 
from previous momentum. 

That is the point we are trying to drive home 
in shooting. For an infinitesimal or greater 
length of time when a shot is fired, the brain hav- 
ing lost control under shock, the muscles must be 
taught to carry on certain actions without con- 
scious effort and yet with precision. There is 
no question but they can be trained to do this 
and it must be done if any great brilliance in 
marksmanship is ever to be attained. The 
greater the effect of recoil upon the gunner, the 
longer space of time in which the brain fails to 
function, the more thoroughly must nerves and 
muscles be taught to do things automatically, or 
instinctively, or unconsciously, call it what you 
wiU. 



SOME SHOOTING PSYCHOLOGY 86 

Could training of this nature be made perfect, 
the shooter might sight his target, throw up his 
gun to cover the bird, mentally calculate the 
point where it would be killed, that is where the 
line of aim and line of flight would connect, and 
then, all brain effort having ceased, the shot 
would be fired at the given point and the piece 
carried on to where the second charge was to be 
sent. 

The writer has seen something similar to this 
accomplished numerous times in night shooting, 
the bird having shown only for an instant, giving 
its line and speed of flight, then disappeared ut- 
terly, but was killed with almost the same cer- 
tainty as though it had been in plain sight. Nat- 
urally no second barrel could have been fired un- 
der such circumstances, because the result of the 
first barrel would not be seen, but had the gunner 
become aware in some way that he had missed, he 
might still have killed the bird with his remaining 
load, the whole mental effort being matured in 
the short space of time the bird was in sight. 

The gist of this is that flinching, the cause of 
which is overstraining mind and nerves, can be 
cured by rigid training, but where the cause is 
an actual fear of punishment, either sound or 
jab, it is a different matter. The trite saying 
that prevention is better than cure applies with 



86 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

special force here. Had I the coaching of a lady 
or sensitive lad in shotgun shooting, no heavily 
charged twelve bore would ever be tolerated. I 
would choose a twenty gauge of more than nor- 
mal weight, with barrels thirty or thirty-two 
inches long, and charge them lightly. Bad eggs 
are never so laid, but chemistry can do little for 
them after they have passed a certain stage; 
granting we have fair eyesight, nature has 
kindly endowed us with every power necessary to 
the making of a good shot, but very often indeed 
we foil her good intentions. 

Concentration 

Concentration is not a quality of an untrained 
mind. The expert shot may not know Latin, 
Greek, or mathematics, but his mind has been 
trained to concentrate more absolutely than 
would be needful in solving algebraic problems. 
Whatever his knowledge of gunnery, a man can- 
not be considered reliable with either rifle or 
smoothbore without the ability to fix his mind 
upon one thing to the utter exclusion of every- 
thing else in the world. 

A rifleman who shoots upon the range with his 
fellows must so train himself that he will not hear 
the gun that is discharged within four feet of his 



SOME SHOOTING PSYCHOLOGY 87 

head. The pigeon shot who could not prevent 
his mind from dwelling upon the previous misses 
would never excel in the sport. I have known 
two crack quail shots to cross their guns without 
knowing it when a bevy broke, and one of them 
shot off the muzzle of the other's gun. If, after 
selecting one bird of a bevy at which to fire, the 
marksman still sees other birds, the chances are 
that he misses them all. The shooter who can 
see trees that are liable to interfere with his aim 
would probably miss the target were the trees 
absent. 

Some sportsmen cannot shoot well in company 
from inability to free their minds of some faint 
knowledge of what companions may be doing. 
When two men have both decided to fire at a bird, 
and the knowledge of what the other is to do is 
known to both, the bird will be more likely to es- 
cape them if but the one gun was fired— this be- 
cause the minds of the gunners are divided be- 
tween aiming and a consciousness of what the 
other gun is doing. One bird of a bevy is harder 
to kill than a bird rising singly for a similar rea- 
son. The match shooter who could feel an earth- 
quake while aiming a shot would be the wrong 
man to place money upon. 

A perfect control of the mind and nervous or- 
ganization is essential to either field or trap- 



88 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

shooting, and the latter must hear what is being 
said about him without comprehending it. Mak- 
ing irritating remarks in connection with a com- 
petitor's shooting is an old trick of pigeon shots. 
The surest way to rattle a field shot is to induce 
him to discuss his misses while still shooting. 

I remember one very clever quail shot that I 
took the job of rattling as a joke. His misses 
were usually shots that went low which caused 
him to fall into my scheme very innocently by 
agreeing that I should observe his work and call 
attention to every shot that went low. As soon 
as a bird arose I called, monotonously, " shoot 
high, shoot high." Very shortly he was missing 
nearly every bird fired upon and was a very thor- 
oughly worried man. He afterwards told me 
that no sooner had the bird started than he 
could think of nothing but me and my infernal 
" shoot high." 

Another individual was slow with his second 
barrel and I consented to coach him. He was a 
peppery chap, but usually pretty reliable with his 
first barrel. When the bird jumped, I said, 
sharply, " second barrel, second barrel," with the 
certain result of his rattling off both barrels 
without touching a feather. He flew into a rage 
finally. 

A good shot with a trained mind, capable of 



SOME SHOOTING PSYCHOLOGY 89 

a high degree of concentration, would never have 
heard what I said. I have known men in brush 
shooting to strike their muzzles against a limb 
and push the branch along sufficiently to get an 
aim and kill the bird without knowing the limb 
was there until afterwards. With his mind di- 
vided a marksman can no more shoot straight 
than he could throw baseballs with both hands 
at the same time. 

Here are a few axioms to be remembered: 
When aiming see nothing, feel nothing, hear noth- 
ing, think of nothing except the work in hand. 
While shooting solve the problem that is before 
you, and not the one that is past. Always kill 
the first bird shot at if you have enough loads in 
your gun, and never mind the others. 

Self Confidence 

In wing-shooting self confidence is a great as- 
set. When a bird springs, if there is any doubt 
in youf mind as to your ability to kill, the result 
will probably be a miss. A feeling must be ever 
present of absolute power to kill, a feeling born 
of previous success. Any feeling of confidence 
not born of past results is simply self deception. 
The vainglorious fellow who believes that he can 
do anything without trying has the sort of faith 
that wouldn't deceive anyone except himself. 



90 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

If a novice could suddenly become miraculously 
possessed of the knowledge of exactly where to 
hold, with the mechanical ability to handle his 
gun, he yet could not shoot from lack of confi- 
dence in his newly acquired powers. The only 
self confidence built upon a solid foundation is 
that which comes from repeated, almost unvary- 
ing success. Confidence that comes from thor- 
oughly tested ability is the stock in trade of the 
expert, and so long as he possesses it, he will shoot 
well. 

Over confidence is a different matter — a miss 
usually resulting from the marksman's conscious 
or unconscious belief that it is not necessary for 
him to put forth his full powers. Shoot with all 
your might, at the easy birds and the hard ones 
alike, quitting when becoming tired rather than 
to shoot on carelessly. 



CHAPTER VI 

SPEED OF FLIGHT AND WHERE TO HOLD 

NO amount of mechanical ability to handle 
a gun, such skill as might be acquired in 
trap shooting, will ever make a crack 
field shot out of the man who cannot estimate dis- 
tances accurately, or who would not know where 
to hold if he did. In treating the subject of 
speed of mark, distance of target, and amount of 
lead, the writer feels constrained to admit that 
no theoretical knowledge can take the place of 
experience — a world of experience. The knowl- 
edge that comes only with long years of shooting 
is something that is never received on a platter 
of gold, but is bought and well paid for by the 
years that have gone by; it is power that was 
stored by the water that has gone past the wheel 
forever. 

It is well that this is so, for if youth, with its 
irrepressible vitality, its muscles of iron and 
nerves of steel, might magically have the wisdom 
of age also, there would be no use for the veteran 
in this world — he would have to be Oslerized to 

91 



92 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

make room. The best the author can do is to 
give such advice as may prevent the water from 
slipping by without turning the wheel. 

Given the velocity of our projectile, the speed, 
distance, and angle on which our mark is trav- 
eling, and it is easy to work out the exact spot 
at which the aim must be taken in order to con- 
nect with the target. But, as has been shown in 
previous chapters, all our theories will be much 
inodified and negatived by the different styles of 
shooting that men have acquired. Indeed so 
many factors have a bearing that it is rare for 
theory and practice to agree, and it is seldom 
that two skilled shots can be found who will not 
have divergent views about where to hold to get 
the bird. 

Just how much the mathematical lead will have 
to be changed by the shooter's manner of swing- 
ing is something that everyone will have to de- 
cide for himself. The novice who manages by 
the rapidity of his swing to cut theoretical lead 
in half is on pretty safe ground. The scientific 
lead is given in these pages merely as a foundation 
for those who have not yet built a shooting struc- 
ture of their own. 

The following table gives either the estimated 
or timed speed of flight of some of our common 
game birds, taken when they are in full plumage 



SPEED OF FLIGHT 93 

and power, after having flown such a distance as 
to have acquired full momentum. It may be 
noted that birds of the order of quail and grouse 
are much more uniform in rate of progress than 
wildfowl. Nature did not give the grouse fam- 
ily such wing powers as the migratory birds, the 
one style of flying they have developed giving a 
very regular velocity. It might be taken as al- 
most axiomatic that the greater the strength of 
wing possessed by any bird, the more will his speed 
vary with his humors and needs. Some hawks 
can stand still in the air, but they can also cut 
through it faster than anything that flies; the 
king bird ordinarily flies slowly, but he can do it 
like a flash of light when he wishes. 

The variations in flight speed of quail and 
grouse can be ascribed to wind and atmosphere 
rather than to the will of the bird. One of them 
might fly past you, running a hazard of both bar- 
rels, without accelerating his wing strokes a par- 
ticle, though doubtless he is as much frightened 
as any other bird. As much cannot be said of 
the duck tribe who sprint or loiter as the occasion 
demands, always appearing able to let out an- 
other link or two when danger is pressing. 

The velocities here given are taken in feet per 
second rather than miles per hour, which is less 
readily comprehended or applied by the gunner. 



94 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 
TABLE OF FLIGHTS 

BIED FEET PER SECOND AVERAGE 

Quail 65 to 85 75 

Prairie Chicken . . 65 to 85 75 

Ruffed Grouse ... 60 to 90 75 

Dove 70 to 100 85 

Jack Snipe 50 to 70 65 

Curlew 45 to 65 55 

Plovers 50 to 80. .Accord, to variety 

Crow 35 to 55 45 

Mallard 55 to 90 75 

Black Duck 55 to 90 75 

Spoonbill 55 to 85 70 

Pintail 60 to 100 80 

Wood Duck 70 to 90 80 

Widgeon 80 to 100 90 

Gadwell 80 to 100 90 

Red Head 110 to 130 120 

Bluewing Teal. . .120 to 140 130 

Greenwing Teal. . 100 to 130 115 

Canvasback 130 to 160 145 

Canada Geese .... 100 to 120 110 

Brant, different varieties, average speed 100 

Some species of hawks have a speed of 200 
feet a second. 

There may be much greater variations in the 
flight of some of these birds than could be given 
in any table. An old mallard might plug lazily 



SPEED OF FLIGHT 96 

along, looking for a place to alight and not travel 
above thirty feet a second; on the other hand, he 
has a tremendous sprint when frightened. It 
might be said that given a good scare any of 
these ducks can reach maximum speed at will, and 
this sprinting flight is usually what the gunner 
has to make allowance for. 

Give a bluewing teal a forty-mile breeze be- 
hind him, have the little rascal dropping down 
with it, and he comes on so fast as to be simply 
unhittable — some writers have claimed a speed 
for him of a hundred and fifty miles an hour or 
two hundred and twenty feet a second. The can- 
vasback, redhead, and bluebill have a way of driv- 
ing before a gale, too, that will be found fast 
enough in all conscience. Much of the fascina- 
tion of wing-shooting comes from the fact that 
shots will always be afforded quite beyond the skill 
of mortal man. 

On the contrary, many wildfowl are jumped, 
killed when hovering over decoys, or shot while 
unsuspicious of danger and moving slowly ; 
enough of such shots are the rule to keep the tyro 
in good heart. Moreover, many birds like snipe, 
quail, chickens, and grouse are generally killed 
before they have attained full speed, perhaps 
ninety per cent, of such birds falling before they 
have reached normal flight velocity. Generally 



96 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

speaking, upland birds are not shot while passing 
the gun at right angles, but are going straight 
away, quartering, or twisting. It follows that 
in the fields our gravest shooting problems are 
other than reckoning speed or flight, but on the 
marshes our ability to calculate distances both 
horizontal and vertical has full play. 

As a consequence wildfowl work may be said 
to be the most scientific wing-shooting in the 
world, while the expert of the uplands displays 
such uncanny quickness of perception that we 
can only explain it as instinct. Comparing the 
work of the men who follow either of these 
branches of sport, we might say that the sports- 
man of the fields has much to unlearn ere he can 
perform creditably upon the web-feet, and the 
man of the duck boat has only a foundation for 
partridge shooting skill. Having learned to kill 
quail, we can no more double up a whizzing can- 
vasback than a man can play golf because he 
has learned croquet, or a ninety per cent, clay 
saucer breaker can hit a jack snipe. 

Mathematical Lead 

The figures given below are based upon a shot 
charge having a mean velocity over a fifty foot 
course of one thousand feet; over a one hundred 



SPEED OF FLIGHT 97 

foot range, of nine hundred feet ; and for the dis- 
tance of one hundred and fifty feet, eight hun- 
dred feet a second. Of course these calculations 
for shot velocity are only approximately correct, 
since they would alter with the size of the pellets, 
the larger shot maintaining a higher momentum 
at the longer ranges. Then, too, the initial ve- 
locity of the load might be greater or less than 
that given. Nevertheless, as it would be obvi- 
ously impossible to work out the problems to fit 
every different charge, without taking up the 
space of a book, these will do as well as any. 

No allowance has been made for the time re- 
quired to pull trigger, the action of the lock, or 
the time necessary for the charge to pass from 
breech to muzzle, these being variable quantities 
that would only render the matter more complex. 
Mathematical lead, as here given, means simply 
the distance the bird would fly at its stated rate 
of speed while the shot were reaching it at the 
velocity mentioned. 

A snipe, curlew, or plover, flying at the rate 
of sixty feet a second, would require a lead of 
two and a half feet at fifty feet ; 5 5-9 feet at 
one hundred feet ; and 9 3-8 feet at fifty yards. 

A quail, prairie chicken, ruffed grouse, or mal- 
lard, covering space at a speed of seventy-five feet 
a second, would have to be led 3 3-4 feet at fifty 



98 WING AND TRAP-SHOGTING 

feet; 8 1-3 feet at one hundred; and 11< feet at 
fifty yards. 

A wood-duck, widgeon, or pintail flying ninety 
feet a second, would necessitate a lead of 4 1-2 
feet at fifty feet; 10 feet at one hundred; and at 
fifty yards 16 7-8 feet. 

A gadwell, greenwing, or wild goose traveling 
one hundred feet a second, would call for a lead 
of ^\e; feet at fifty feet; 11 1-9 feet at one hun- 
dred; and 18 3-4 feet at fifty yards. 

A bluewing teal, canvasback, or redhead, pass- 
ing at the rate of one hundred and twenty feet 
a second, would need a lead of 6 feet at a distance 
of fifty; 13 3-9 at one hundred; and at fifty yards 
22 1-2 feet. 

Should a canvasback or bluewing flash by at 
the rate of 150 feet a second, which they doubtless 
sometimes do in a wind, the lead for fifty feet 
would be 7 1-2 feet, that for one hundred, 16 2-3 ; 
for fifty yards 28 1-8 feet. 

Granted that a hawk is able to fly two hundred 
feet a second, as stated, this means that over a 
fifty yard range the shot charge would travel 
but four times as fast as the bird, and the lead re- 
quired to connect with him at the distance would 
be 37 1-2 feet. Even in the case of many of the 
ducks the shot have a velocity barely eight times 
as great as the target. Bearing this in mind, the 



SPEED OF FLIGHT 99 

need of correctly estimating distance and lead may 
strike the reader with new force. 

It should be noted that these allowances for 
lead are all theoretical. The average experienced 
man, who fires with a rapidly swinging gun, would 
cut the given lead in half, and many expert wild- 
fowlers would do better than that. It might be 
added here that any apparent lead greater than 
ten feet becomes pretty much guesswork. I have 
myself killed teal in a Minnesota gale by holding 
what I considered twenty feet ahead of them, but 
the feat was performed so seldom as to be readily 
recalled. It should be remembered that con- 
sciously giving a lead of twenty feet means really 
a much greater allowance if the gun is swinging 
true and fast. Naturally difficult shots like those 
are the " home runs " of wing-shooting. 

It is hardly necessary to state that all the cal- 
culations here presented call for the bird's pass- 
ing at right angles to the gun, any other angle 
of flight obviously changing the lead. 

Judging Distances 

Within shotgun range it is a comparatively easy 
matter to judge distances along the ground, espe- 
cially stationary objects of recognized dimen- 
sions. Even birds a-wing that fly low nearly al- 



100 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

ways pass a tree or something else that will aiford 
us a basis for calculations. But with birds of 
unknown size, passing overhead, the matter as- 
sumes different proportions. 

As previously stated, in upland shooting, 
where the birds generally rise near us, the matter 
of estimating distances need not concern us seri- 
ously. To be sure some shots will be missed 
through an incorrect lead due to badly judged 
flight, but such chances will not occur often 
enough to make a great difference in the size of the 
bag. 

When wildfowl are in question, however, the 
subject is one that cannot be studied too closely. 
Ducks frequently maintain a line of flight so 
regular that striking them could present no great 
difficulty, if we knew how far they were away from 
the gun and exactly what lead to give them. Nine 
misses in ten upon the marsh are caused by faulty 
lead, which in turn must be attributed to poor 
judgment of distance or speed of flight. 

Expert gunners estimate the distance of their 
mark, first, by knowing the kind of bird that is 
coming in and the size that it should appear at a 
given time. This makes it imperative that we 
should always be able to recognize the species of 
fowl that is approaching, be it teal, mallard, or 
pintail, for we cannot reckon nearness by size 



SPEED OF FLIGHT 101 

unless the size is well known. Secondly, the close- 
ness of wildfowl can be approximately figured by 
keenly observing their markings. The shooter 
may say that he knew the bird was within range 
because he could see the white on its cheeks or 
the bars on its wings. The third method is to 
observe the apparent time required for the fowl 
to pass the gun. A bird that is well out will seem- 
ingly be much longer in passing than he would if 
he whistled by our heads. 

One of the first things for a wildfowler to learn 
is to recognize the kind of duck which is ap- 
proaching while it is yet at a distance. Until he 
can do this simply by the manner of the bird's 
flying he cannot hope to do a great deal of execu- 
tion. This is true for more than one reason, but 
the particular one which concerns us now is the 
necessity for judging the bird's range by its size 
and appearance. The novice quickly comes to 
know that a mallard shows markings about as far 
as he can be killed, but if he is looking for trim- 
mings of chestnut, white, and green, and a little 
black teal whizzes by at half gunshot he will never 
believe that it was within reach. 

Nevertheless when experience has taught us to 
recognize at sight the different species of fowl 
there is no better key to the mysteries of unknown 
range than the markings of the birds. So many 



102 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

yards away we can distinguish the drakes from 
the ducks. A certain nearer approach and the 
chestnut and white of the mallard drake's breast 
no longer blend. Close up the very eyes of the 
bird may be seen, or the curl upon his tail, and 
then even the tyro knows that his mark is within 
easy reach. 

Probably judging the distance of a wildfowl by 
his markings is the mode most commonly prac- 
ticed. It is usually very reliable, though to be 
sure atmospheric conditions would have an influ- 
ence. In rainy or foggy weather the colors might 
blend when the bird was nearly on top of you. 
And, by the way, estimating the distance or size 
of the flying game in a fog is almost impossible. 

The apparent size of the mark also gives the 
gunner a very good line on its vicinity to the gun. 
When the bird looms up as big as a balloon you 
know that he ought to be within gunshot. It is 
here, however, that a man's eyes often deceive his 
reason. After killing a mallard at forty yards he 
permits a teal at thirty-five to escape because he 
fully believes it is out of range. In like manner, 
impressed with the appearance of the ducks, an 
old Canada honker will not seem to be half as far 
away as he really is, and a lot of forbearance is 
needed to keep from cutting loose while he is yet 
two gunshot lengths off. A safe plan with the big 



SPEED OF FLIGHT 103 

bird is to let him come just as close as he will, 
even if he drops into the pit. As a matter of fact 
that is a pretty good plan with any kind of a 
waterfowl, larger than a teal, for almost invari- 
ably they are not so close as they appear to be. 

With very small birds the opposite might be 
true, as for example a quail at forty yards looks 
a long distance off, many would pronounce him 
from fifty to sixty yards away. This accounts 
for most of the sixty-yard shots on quail that we 
read about, the bird really being under forty 
oftener than not. 

Judging the distance of the target by the ra- 
pidity with which it approached and passed the 
gun would be reliable if a man had his bump of 
mathematics highly developed and nothing else to 
do. The fowl being above our heads, with its 
markings showing clearly, should it seemingly re- 
quire a long time to pass out of range, so that 
if need be a half dozen shots could be fired at it, 
we can safely assume that it was quite out of gun- 
shot to begin with. 

This reminds me of the efforts of a young 
friend of mine on his first duck shoot. He said 
that he had no trouble in getting an aim on some 
of the birds, but that others drummed by so fast 
that he couldn't shoot at them at all. I found 
that he was banging away at all the high flying 



104 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

flocks while the birds that whistled by his head es- 
caped without drawing fire. In a modified way 
this happens to more than one novice. 

Correctly estimating the distance of the mark 
will not avail us much unless we can at the same 
time closely calculate the speed of flight. The 
lead that would kill mallards right along will miss 
every teal that wings past us; or if by accident 
the beginner first learns to connect with the teal, 
he will be disgusted at missing the slow flying 
greenheads and pintail while apparently hanging 
right over his head. Indeed, the expert gunner 
is often dismayed to find that he cannot change 
his swing to adapt it to a slow moving mark after 
becoming accustomed to a speedy one. He per- 
ceives at once that he should do so, but shooting 
instinct and habit betray him. It is often laugh- 
able to see a crack shot lead a rabbit three feet 
too much when bunny hops up among the scat- 
tered quail. Knowing his bird, however, and its 
probable speed soon rights the matter, though 
undeniably a mixed bag calls for the highest de- 
gree of shooting skill. 

The ordinary manner of estimating the lead for 
a bird is not in feet, as might be expected, but in 
lengths of the bird. For instance, at fifty yards 
ten feet appears a very short distance, but a bird 
that is known to be twelve inches long seems very 



SPEED OF FLIGHT 105 

small also; nevertheless by taking ten of his 
lengths we can safely assume that we are ten feet 
ahead of him. This rule of course pertains to 
any distance, while by attempting to work in feet 



I 
: I i 



« # 



Estimating Distance to Hold Ahead in 
Lengths of the Bird 

we will find that the eye will deceive us with every 
varying range. Not one inexperienced shot in a 
dozen can come closer than two feet to estimating 
the distance apart of two poles at fifty yards, not 



106 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

to mention measuring off ten feet in the air with 
nothing to serve as a guide or comparison. De- 
spite this the novice may guess off ten lengths 
with sufficient accuracy to insure a kill. 

After a time the final dependence of every 
veteran shot comes to be shooting habit. He 
glances at the flying quarry, swings upon it, and 
pulls when he feels he is right, with deadly re- 
sults. The feeling of where to hold becomes so 
strong that no manner of reasoning or instruction 
would change his point of aim. This is not from 
any form of instinct, but simply because he swung 
so and killed many times before. He finally does 
it all without second thought, or first thought 
either, and should you ask him how much he led 
he wouldn't remember, either feet or lengths. Per- 
haps he might declare that he didn't lead at all, 
or barely shot in front ; this because his mind was 
upon other things, as in swinging steadily and let- 
ting off at the exact time when he felt that was 
right. 

Notwithstanding, this style of shooting can by 
no means be safely imitated by the novice. Hu- 
manity is so constituted that it must learn things 
slowly, through a process of reasoning, and rea- 
son only can lay a sure foundation for the so- 
called shooting instinct. If there is any royal 
road of success in wing-shooting the writer has 



SPEED OF FLIGHT 107 

never known anyone to strike it. Practice and 
study, practice and study; you will never become 
perfect, but you can become expert. 



CHAPTER VII 

HINTS ON SHOOTING DIFFERENT GAME BIEDS 

THE limits of this book will not permit me 
to treat shooting the various game birds 
at length. Indeed, full instructions for 
handling the ordinary varieties of game which fall 
before the shotgun in this country would require 
a volume of itself. The best that I can do in this 
one chapter on the subject is to give a few hints 
which the beginner may find worth consulting. 

The Bob White Quail 

This little fellow is to head the list because he 
is the most widely distributed and best loved of 
all our game birds. In all the south, the west to 
the mountains, and throughout the Middle States, 
not a sportsman can be found who will not assert 
a fondness for quail shooting, the sport of many 
being limited to this one bird. The friendly 
brown chap ranges from Minnesota to the south- 
ern extremity of Florida, and in all this region 
the lad who has any shooting instinct born in 
him must have longed to follow the pointers and 

108 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS 109 

the quail, years ere he was able to bear the weight 
of a gun. 

Little Bob affords shooting under many condi- 
tions, some of them so easy as to make him one of 
the least difficult of all our game birds to bag, 
and others quite hard enough to call forth the 
highest skill of the most expert gun. The tyro 
can kill some quail, and the practiced shot will 
fall far short of securing them all. 

The marked characteristics of quail are that 
he lies best to the dog and rises nearer to the gun 
than any other game bird of the uplands; he is 
found both in the open and in heavy cover; he 
can be pursued on foot, on horseback, and some- 
times in wagons; the bevies break away all in a 
bunch, with a tremendous rush and whir of wings, 
with a startling rapidity only rivaled by the ruffed 
grouse; and he is a winged athlete, capable of 
swerving and dodging when occasion demands in 
a manner to shame a jack snipe. Parenthetically 
permit me to venture here the opinion that quail 
do not dodge maliciously, their powers in this re- 
spect being merely called forth by circumstances. 

In an open, level, ragweed field, where the vege- 
tation is from knee to waist high, Bob sails away 
on an even keel, as straight as an arrow, where- 
upon a right and left should be within the powers 
of the average shot. However, let trees and brush 



110 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

intervene and the course of the little bird is be- 
yond the foresight of man; then, too, he will 
swerve so quickly as to escape a charge of shot 
that has been sent direct for him. 

One of the difficulties of quail shooting lies in 
the very fact that would apparently make his kill- 
ing a simple matter, his rising near the gun. Let 
me illustrate: If a quail rose within ten feet of 
the gun and continued sailing around the 
shooter's head at a mile a minute gait, the chances 
are that he couldn't be killed in ten shots, both the 
bird and the gun changing angles with a rapidity 
beyond the ability of the mind to calculate. In 
the same way a close springing bird may change 
his angle with regard to the gun so rapidly as 
to entail a long and accurate swing before he can 
be covered. 

He may rise within twenty feet of the gun, be 
killed within fifty feet, and yet meantime he has 
half boxed the compass. For such a shot as this 
the poise of the gunner's body must be maintained 
very nicely, if he is to turn half about without 
disturbing the balance, and at the same time cover 
a small, rapidly moving object with precision. 
This lengthy swing is a mechanically troublesome 
feat on the principle that anything at all hard to 
accomplish becomes more trying the longer con- 
tinued. Making a long and accurate swing with 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS 111 

a shotgun might aptly be compared with rifle 
shooting at a thousand yards. Any rifleman could 
hit the buUseye if you put him close enough, and 
the shotgun shooter could best place his charge 
upon the mark when he did not have to swing 
the arm at all. 

The nature of the quail's flight frequently makes 
this long swing unavoidable. The bird may rise 
to the north, pass to the west, and be killed to the 
south. Had it been possible to foresee that the 
bird would swing about to the south before being 
killed, the gun might have been pointed there, 
rendering unnecessary a complex gun movement, 
but meantime the quarry would probably have 
gone in some other direction. The quail work 
that calls for care and skill is cover shooting, and 
the only safe rule there is to point your gun as 
near the bird as you can when he breaks and 
shoot as quickly as you can get on. 

It is all well enough to give the trite advice 
not to shoot too quickly, give the bird time enough 
to straighten out, but half the time that this is 
done no shot will be fired at all. An old German 
hunting axiom covers this ground : " Any time 
you fail to shoot you have made a miss." We 
have all been out with the individual who with- 
held his fire because he " couldn't get on to that 
fellow," and he is a most exasperating companion 



112 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

where the other gun is waiting for him to shoot. 
The promptest possible work is requisite in quail 
shooting, the nerves of the gunner awaiting a rise 
being really keyed up as high as those of a sprin- 
ter on the mark listening for the pistol. A 
trained quail shot can be made to fairly jump into 
the air by roughly imitating the rush of the bird's 
wings. 

This idea of waiting for a quail to fly a cer- 
tain distance reminds me of the advice of dear old 
Frank Forester. His scheme was never to cock 
his piece until the bird was on the wing, then raise 
the left hammer, shift and pull up the right, by 
which time the shooter would have recovered his 
coolness, and the mark would be just the distance 
to be killed with ease and absolute certainty. I 
tried the plan when a boy, and can fully believe 
an old market gunner who said that Frank Fores- 
ter never could shoot quail. The time to shoot 
a quail in the brush is when and where you can 
see him, the opportunity perhaps not lasting a 
quarter of a second. 

The quail shot must possess mechanical steadi- 
ness, rapidity of action, nerve force, and nerve 
control. Mechanically there is no comparison be- 
tween following, making a half turn, and cutting 
down a quail at fifty feet, and throwing up the 
gun with a five-inch swing to lead a mallard ten 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS US 

feet at fiftj jards. Which of the shots will be the 
more difficult of accomplishment is a matter of 
training and experience. The quail shot must 
possess mechanics and nerve, the duck hunter, 
shooting knowledge. Personally I believe that 
quail work takes a great deal more out of a man, 
so that killing fifty quail will result in a nerve ex- 
haustion that would not accompany bagging a 
hundred ducks. 

Sporting writers are disposed to dwell upon 
the necessity for holding high in quail shooting, 
didactically stating that nearly all misses either 
go low or fall behind. Our literary gunners 
either get this idea from one another, accepting it 
without question as people do most of their wis- 
dom, or their logic, so far as they have any, is 
that as the bird is rising from the ground, the 
charge must necessarily drop beneath unless care 
be taken to hold above. This theory really ap- 
plies to pigeon shooting from the traps, originat- 
ing from the demand of that sport. 

The plain principle that should be remembered 
is that any bird flying away from the gun, beneath 
the line of aim, demands high holding whether 
or not the mark is rising; on the other hand, 
a target above the level of the eye may require 
low holding even when it is gradually rising. Let 
us make this plain. A bird rises near the gun 



114 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

and the weapon is pointed there, the muzzle being 
directed toward the ground. Now the mark may 
fly away nearly along the ground, as pigeons often 
do, and yet the line of aim must rise steadily until 
the gun is nearly in a horizontal position. 

On the contrary, if the bird rises sharply at 
the first bound to a height some distance above 
the gun and then goes off level, or even rises 
somewhat, the gun will first be elevated to an 
angle of perhaps forty-five degrees and then with 
the receding target must drop until near the hori- 
zontal. Applying this principle, we find that 
shots must be directed high for all outgoing birds 
that are beneath the level of the eye and low for 
outgoing birds that are above the level of the eye 
unless they continue to rise at a very sharp angle. 

I shall call attention briefly to the shots that 
are liable to go high; those in which the tendency 
is to fall under; the manner of flight when the 
charge often strikes behind; and where the error 
will be leading too much. To begin with permit 
me to repeat a statement previously made that in 
upland shooting only the occasional bird requires 
any great amount of lead. The obvious reason 
for this is that any target which rises close to 
the gun must in the nature of things go away 
from it and cannot maintain a right angled flight 
for any great distance. 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS 115 

A bird may be readily overshot when he is fly- 
ing straight away and perfectly level, in conse- 
quence of the line of aim being so very short. 
The gun comes to the shoulder pointing but a few 
inches beneath the target ; then if it is brought up 
quickly the probability is that it travels above the 
mark while the trigger is being pressed. The 
problem of the shooter here is to start his line of 
aim sufficiently below the mark so that the finger 
can receive fair warning before the time comes to 
pull. Another shot often going high is when the 
bird rises to some little elevation and then drives 
away with a lowering flight before the aim is 
secured. 

One of the most troublesome of open quail shots 
to gauge is when the little chap rises near the 
gun to a height of twenty or thirty feet and then 
goes off level. The natural inclination is to swing 
after him, unconscious that he is really going 
down toward the horizontal line and that the aim 
must in many instances be taken at least a foot 
low. Another quail shot in which few ever be- 
come proficient is the incomer. Flying low as this 
bird does, should he be allowed to approach within 
less than forty-five feet it is almost impossible 
to strike him owing to the rapidity with which the 
gun must be moved to keep pace with the flight. 
The nearer the bird comes to you the faster the 



116 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

muzzle swings, and at that the bird either outpaces 
you or you jerk ahead blindly without any aim 
and kill only by accident. The incomer should 
be fired upon when fifty feet or more away should 
he be seen in time, or failing to get in the shot 
there, turn on the bird and take him after he 
passes by. When attempting this last feat always 
hold under such a distance as would appear a 
sure miss, usually a foot and a half unless the bird 
is rising. 

Naturally the shape of a man's gunstock will 
modify his holding for any of the shots that 
should go high or low. This particular flight, 
the bird passing overhead and going away, was 
the most successfully accomplished with the use 
of one peculiar weapon which the author owned 
fifteen or twenty years ago. It was a straight 
stocked gun to begin with, made emphatically so 
by the addition of a Monte Carlo comb which 
caused it to shoot high and to the left. With this 
piece there was never any of the trouble with the 
incomers that I have experienced with other arms. 
The incomer was allowed to pass and then the 
aim taken about two feet low and four inches to 
the right, and down he came stone dead, seem- 
ingly the most certain shot that could possibly 
be taken. 

Shot charges should be delivered high when the 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS 117 

game rises so wild as to require snapping before 
reaching the end of its climbing bound, the snap 
shot being demanded to prevent the quarry getting 
beyond range. Under such circumstances the line 
of aim would not follow the line of flight, but 
would pass straight up in front of the mark to 
the connecting point. Such shots as this more 
often occur in prairie chicken shooting than with 
quail. 

Another problem that necessitates quick per- 
ception is when the bird meets some obstruction 
to his flight. The inclination of a quail is always 
to jump over rather than dodge under anything 
that comes in his way, the rise beginning some 
distance before he reaches the obstruction. Hence 
watch your mark closely should he be winging to- 
ward a low tree or brush for he is nearly certain 
to rise, and it is then a safe rule to hold over 
anyway. 

It should be known that the majority of under 
shots are due, not so much to the flight of the 
bird, as to the nerves of the gunner. When there 
is need of quick action, in a semi-snap or rapid 
swing, with the sportsman's nerves tensely 
strung, there is more than a possibility of the 
finger betraying the judgment by letting ofi" be- 
fore the piece has quite traveled up to cover 
the mark. In every instance of this kind the 



118 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

charge must either go low or behind, and usually 
both. 

Take it for granted that in upland shooting 
two-thirds of the misses that fall beneath and 
back are the result of rebellious nerves. Nerves 
are especially hard to manage where the swing is 
a long one, as we have shown it must often be 
with quail; hence the pigeon shooter's axiom of 
" shoot high and in front " might apply to Bob 
White, only it should read " don't pull until you 
are on." If you cannot avoid doing this, harden 
the trigger of your gun. 

Individuals differ, and the personality of the 
gunner must always govern largely, but the writer 
has always had his best success in quail shooting 
by firing a semi-snap shot with the first barrel 
and swinging after with the second. With prac- 
tice too it will be found that the gun can be swung 
with greater ease and certainty, and a better view 
maintained of the mark when the head is held up- 
right, free of the gunstock. 

Pkairie Chicken 

Chicken shooting was once such a simple busi- 
ness as scarcely to deserve the name of sport, for 
the half-grown chicks were killed in August while 
still under charge of the old hen. At present the 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS 119 

hunting of these grouse begins with October, and 
the work upon the mature and powerful fowl is 
not only elegant sport, but of a nature to test 
the skill of any man. The bevies now become 
broken up, scattering about singly, in pairs, and 
small bunches, and then with the approach of 
winter packing into coveys of several hundred. 
The larger the packs or the colder the weather, 
the wilder chickens become and the more difficult 
the work of the gunner. 

The very finest of prairie grouse shooting is 
to be had on the occasional warm, sunny days 
that come in November and December. Then 
while the big fellows are not tame, and certainly 
not tame shooting, they will frequently permit 
the gunner to approach within half gunshot, and 
a half dozen of the powerful birds in the strength 
of their lusty growth and the beauty of their 
winter plumage will afford intense satisfaction to 
any sportsman who prefers quality to quantity. 
We will treat of bagging these strong, brown fel- 
lows rather than the September fledglings that 
even the tyro would require no special instruction 
to kill. 

The full grown pinnated grouse is rather more 
powerful of wing than a quail, though from his 
size he seems to move slower. He is, however, 
not so sharp in getting away from the mark as 



1^0 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

his little cousin, and hence if he lay to a point 
like the latter would be easier shooting. But 
the late fall chicken doesn't lie as close as a quail, 
the rise being anywhere from twenty yards to a 
long gunshot. It follows that straightaway 
chances are the exception rather than the rule, 
and the distance of the spring makes it needful 
that nearly every shot be well judged and given 
its proper allowance ahead. Almost invariably 
daylight should be seen between the point of aim 
and the bird, the lead being anywhere from a foot 
to eight feet where an old cock is crossing at 
forty-five yards. 

In the course of a day upon the prairies nearly 
every description of shot known in wing-shooting 
may be afforded. Occasionally a bird will rise 
under your feet and drive away low over the short 
coated prairie, but the majority will be quartering 
shots at every conceivable angle from a straight- 
away to a direct incomer. Frequently the cack- 
ling chaps will spring to a height of thirty or 
forty feet, and then drop away with whip and 
twist and flash of wings toward the distant hori- 
zon — the most careful gunner finding plenty of 
empty space along these curves of flight. Num- 
bers will cross at right angles, demanding as 
much lead as a mallard duck, and sometimes a 
pack will come stringing along like English driven 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS Ul 

game, yielding the sportsman as hot a thirty 
seconds as he ever experienced. 

The chicken, being a heavy bird, cannot reach 
top speed so promptly as a quail, and they have 
a way of climbing for the first few yards that 
keeps them within gunshot when a quail or ruffed 
grouse would be putting such space between him- 
self and the gun that shooting at him would 
be useless. 

I should estimate that a quail would fly forty- 
five feet the first second after his jump, a ruffed 
grouse from forty-five to fifty-five feet, a chicken 
perhaps not above thirty, though in doing this he 
might rise to a height of twenty feet. As a con- 
sequence pinnated grouse can sometimes be bagged 
that take wing forty yards from the gun, but it 
calls for a high degree of shooting skill to gauge 
both his speed away from the gun and his angle 
of elevation. With these long range shots the gun 
should always come up to the point of discharge 
with the least possible lost motion, something of 
accuracy being sacrificed to prompt delivery of 
the charge, care being taken to shoot plenty high 
— sometimes as much as two feet above the climb- 
ing fowl. This work has more resemblance to 
jumping ducks than anything quail shooting de- 
velops. 

The mature chicken is suspicious, preferring 



m WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

rather to trust to the strength of strong wings 
than to any ability to hide. With the wild fel- 
lows it is better to chance a miss with a rough 
snap that has power to drive the pellets home in 
place of a precise aim that could only rattle the 
shot upon his stiff wing feathers. Nevertheless, 
I have found the quick half snap to be the most 
killing style, care being taken to steady the gun 
before lifting it to the mark. 

The second barrel will naturally follow the first 
in a quick swing and should snap in after the 
first with the same celerity as in pigeon shooting 
from the traps. The best policy in all wing-shoot- 
ing is to consider any bird near enough for the 
second barrel that was within reach of the first. 
Otherwise an indecisive second barrel will grow 
upon you to the great detriment of all your 
shooting. 

Where the utmost rapidity is requisite the ob- 
vious thing to do is to get your weapon to shoul- 
der with the flash of the springing bird; then in 
the slight interim needed to steady the piece the 
calculation for lead can be made and the charge 
sent there instantly, care being taken not to jerk 
the weapon with uncontrollable roughness. With 
the shooter walking up his bird, without having 
gun, legs, or body in shooting position, a grouse 
can be stopped by a fast man within ^ye ^ards of 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS US 

where it breaks cover, the time taken to accom- 
plish all the separate, complex movements not 
being over half a second. 

Only the wisest old chicken dog will be found 
serviceable on November grouse, an animal which 
can scent his game at from fifty to two hundred 
yards, one that will not attempt to approach 
it except in close company with the gun. On 
birds that have packed and become excessively 
wild, two men may often work together to ad- 
vantage, the one hiding in the grass while the 
other drives the game over him. 

There are times when not a single chicken will 
permit an unconcealed gunner to approach a 
foot within one hundred yards. Under the cir- 
cumstances the only recourse is either to drive 
the birds or to endeavor to shoot them from horse- 
back or wagon. A horse can sometimes be gal- 
loped right among the fowl, especially in a coun- 
try where they have become accustomed to the 
unmolesting cowpuncher. A driven wagon some- 
times proves equally serviceable, but the second 
time you endeavor to drive up to a flushed pack 
you will learn that the wise birds have sized up 
the situation perfectly, and chickens can fly about 
over the rough prairie faster than horses can 
trot. 



lU WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 
The Ruffed Geouse 

The ruffed grouse is the wisest of all his tribe, 
of which all have brains, and as a winged sprinter 
is the quickest away from scratch of anything that 
flies. The quail dodges with phenomenal sudden- 
ness when anything obstructs his path, the wind 
sometimes unbalances a jack snipe, giving his 
flight the acme of eccentricity, but the partridge 
does it all deliberately and maliciously. With 
gunner and ruffed grouse, as with pitcher and 
batter, it is a guessing game and whichever out- 
guesses comes off victor. 

Flush a quail in the thick woods and should 
there be an opening he may fly straight down it ; a 
partridge might, too, but be sure he will not. I 
have seen one of the birds sitting before a dog's 
point in a perfectly open spot, but there was a tree 
within twenty feet. I planned to get a shot at 
him before he could reach that tree, and ordered 
the dog to draw in while I stood with gun ready. 
The wise old scoundrel got up with provoking de- 
liberation, spread his tail, legged it around be- 
hind the tree, and then took wing with a tre- 
mendous hurrah. 

In partridge shooting, knowledge of the bird's 
habits will avail more than shooting skill. The 
hunter should have that rare sort of partridge 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS U5 

wisdom that few are born with and fewer ever ac- 
quire. One can always luckily select the spot 
where the fish will bite if there are any, and the 
old partridge crank can forever place himself 
in just the spot to get his opportunity while all 
the other fellows have to take what happens to 
come. 

The thing for the ruffed grouse hunter 
to do is to shoot and never count shells. Should 
the bird fly behind a tree and not reappear shoot 
the tree in two if you can. When he simply roars 
in beyond the limbs, make no hesitation for that 
is the very place to kill him. Swing along on the 
line of flight, so much of it as you have seen, 
take it for granted that he is still going the same 
course at the same rate of speed, and when you 
know you are right pull with as much confidence 
as though the bird were yet in plain sight. Then 
listen for the bird to fall — and sometimes he will. 
If he doesn't, simply blame the limbs; they have 
no shooting conceit to be aggrieved. Seeing 
sparkles and flashes of light, glinting through the 
woods, left there by the partridge's wings, shoot 
as far ahead as your conscience will let yor, and 
more than likely another bird will be added to 
the bag. 

In the rare times when you catch a ruflfed 
grouse in the open, as in little isolated clumps 



126 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

from which he must fly, or along old, overgrown 
fencerows, he is no more difficult target than a 
quail or chicken. He is quicker away from the 
gun in heavy cover, but in full flight has no 
greater speed than either of the others. Gener- 
ally no great amount of lead need be taken, but 
the shots he affords are of such diversified char- 
acter that there can be no such thing as systematic 
partridge shooting. The marksman must simply 
suit his style to the nature of the shot as it 
comes. At the odd times when an easy shot ap- 
pears, make sure of that bird, with all the pre- 
cision and steadiness possessed, for he is the bird 
that should add weight to the back coat pocket. 

When there is but a ten foot opening in the 
trees snap the bird there, no matter what the odds 
against a kill ; that is where the fun comes in and 
the rare pleasure of a kill that happens seldom. 
The ruffed grouse, by the way, is the only bird 
upon which the ethics of sportsmanship should 
tolerate the use of a cylinder bored gun. When 
this bird is killed fairly upon the wing I should 
not feel disposed to lecture the man who used a 
bell muzzled piece. 

Like the grouse hunter, the partridge dog just 
happens to be one. If nature hasn't done a great 
deal for him, man can do little. Training can 
teach the dog to hunt close to the gun, to flush 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS 127 

to order, and to be stanch, and then he may or 
may not be a partridge dog. 

It is well to hunt ruffed grouse with a reliable 
companion, one that can be depended upon not 
to shoot you first and feel sorry afterwards. 
The right kind of a hunting partner will enable 
both guns to secure better results, since the sec- 
ond gun will often get its chance while the wily 
bird is outmaneuvering the other. Further ad- 
vantages, such as marking the birds, will be ob- 
vious without dwelling upon them. 

Next to purely open shots the easiest partridge 
problem is when the bird is climbing through the 
thin limbs or just as he tops the undergrowth; 
the hardest is where he drops, like a bullet, out 
of a tree and skims the ground. One partridge 
killed in three shots is good shooting; fifty per 
cent, on quail is of about the same order, and 
three out of four chickens. 

Snipe Shooting 

The writer once hung a jury because he knew 
the other eleven fellows were wrong. They 
wished to clear a man of the charge of murder 
who had shot another in the back, the plea being 
self defense. Utterly regardless of the risk of 
being in a minority of one, I propose to maintain 



/128 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

now that snipe are the easiest to kill of all our 
common game birds with the exception of the 
rail which at best doesn't deserve to be listed as 
game. That the snipe is a difficult shooting 
proposition seems to be one of the popular sport- 
ing errors that appear to have been accepted as 
an inheritance. Naturally the fiction writer and 
the book learned gunner perpetuate the error, 
considering themselves on safe ground when dwell- 
ing upon the difficulties of snipe shooting. 

It is true that jack sometimes flies very er- 
ratically on windy days when he finds trouble in 
balancing himself while gaining sufficient momen- 
tum to progress steadily. Like other birds, too, 
his temper is affected by cold, raw weather, or 
when he is hungry and food scarce; at such 
times he has little hesitation about getting up 
well out of range and leaving promptly for some 
more genial snipe world. When flushing wild it 
is quite a literal statement of fact that snipe are 
hard to hit, for if tied to a post out of gun range 
not many would be hurt. It appears, too, that 
a snipe really requires some ballast of fat if he 
is to sail upon an even keel, the thin little chaps 
surprising themselves with aerial gymnastics in 
the wind. 

But in actual snipe weather, warm sunny days, 
with cover good and food plentiful, jack snipe 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS 129 

shooting is little more of a feat than smashing 
clay birds, than which there is no simpler shot- 
gun work with which to compare. 

The statement often made that the shooter 
should always withhold his fire until the bird is 
from twenty-five to thirty yards distant is the 
height of absurdity. The same shooting prin- 
ciple applies to snipe that holds with any other 
game bird, catch him before he becomes hard. 
When these birds are lying well to the dog and 
gun they get up lazily and float away with long, 
easy bounds. The first jump may carry his 
snipeship twenty feet, and then with a twist of his 
body he covers half a dozen yards at a more or 
less acute angle, but at the end of one of these 
aerial leaps the bird hangs for the fraction of a 
second and there you can almost catch him with 
a rifle bullet. 

The preliminary spring with accompanying 
saucy " scaipe " should warn the gunner and the 
end of the next leg of the zigzag ought to find 
poor jack ready to be smoothed down and placed 
in the bag, the man of ordinary quickness striking 
his mark inside of sixty feet or not over forty- 
five from where it broke cover. The motion of a 
snipe is really something like that of a skater 
who shoves out first upon one foot and then the 
other, the bird, however, making longer and 



130 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

quicker strokes, which become very choppy when 
he is sprinting. 

There is a bit of up and down movement to the 
flight of a snipe under some conditions, but not 
a great deal, and when he is passing or circling 
the gun, the in and out motion is little in evidence 
and he flies practically as level as other birds. 
When going straight away his criss-cross style 
is most apparent, and such shots are the hardest 
in consequence. It is this feature of his flight 
that makes hunting down wind the most effective, 
since the bird has a preference for rising against 
the wind, and will then beat back, affording a 
crossing shot, while should the shooter walk up 
wind his target would likely be a straightaway. 
Nevertheless up wind or down wind, should the 
quarry rise within twenty yards he cannot es- 
cape without hazarding both barrels, one of 
which will generally suffice. 

The movements of a snipe should never be fol- 
lowed by the line of aim. To do so would render 
his flight as hard to solve as sporting literature 
has pronounced. Get the gun up pointed under 
him and then snap ahead on one of his long 
bounds before he can tack. The thing is so 
easily done that I will leave it to any experienced 
snipe shot if there is any great feat about cutting 
down twenty of the little beauties straight. 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS 131 

Indeed this bird is one that calls for a hunter's 
forbearance in the matter of bag. Some years 
ago immense bags of snipe were common. The 
record so far as I know was something over six 
hundred birds killed by a Louisiana planter in 
one day. In the vicinity of St. Louis two hun- 
dred snipe a day were not considered shooting 
worthy of special note, and no snipe were in un- 
less fifty could be killed. To-day twenty-five 
longbills should be considered the limit per gun, 
though the number may be secured in a few hours' 
shooting over favorable ground. 

Jack is the gentlest and most unsuspicious lit- 
tle vagabond in the world. Should you miss 
him he will pitch about for a few minutes, perhaps 
to settle down again within fifty yards of the gun 
for another hazard with the death whistling lead. 

A clever shot on snipe should account for 
eighty per cent, of the birds shot at, a perfor- 
mance not to be expected with any other upland 
game bird. They are not only a simple propo- 
sition to hit but are easily killed which permits 
the use of lightly charged and small gauge weap- 
ons. 

Wildfowl Shooting 

Duck shooting is the billiards of work with a 



1S2 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

scatter gun. The uniform flight of the fowl, the 
absence of any interference with the aim, pre- 
paredness of the shooter from having been given 
due warning of the approaching bird, tend to 
place every factor of the shooting problem at the 
gunner's command. Always, however, the hunt- 
er's skill and experience must equal the demand, 
the whole situation resolving itself finally into a 
knowledge of where to hold. In quail shooting a 
man's difficulty lies in being unable to place his 
charge to the spot which he knows is right; in 
duck shooting the main question is where to point 
the gun, the pattern being readily sent to the esti- 
mated lead. It is nearly as easy to direct the 
aim ten feet in front of the mark as two feet, al- 
ways provided you know it should lead ten feet 
and not two or six. Therefore conclude that 
every successful shot must be made with an ab- 
solutely correct estimate of speed of flight and 
distance of mark. When this can be done with 
regularity the pleasure of verifying the judgment 
with a long, clean kill is superior to that con- 
nected with any other style of shooting. 
• The most that I can do here is to call attention 
to some of the various shots which the wildfowler 
will be called upon to solve as primary lessons in 
the duck shooting game. 

The overhead, incoming shot is made by throw- 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS 133 

ing the gun beneath the target and pitching it 
rapidly upward until it passes the bird, firing the 
instant the mark is quite hidden by the barrels. 
Little conscious allowance ahead will be found 
necessary in making this shot, but the speedier 
the mark the more rapidly the gun should be 
swung. It can be readily understood that with 
a rapidly moving muzzle a greater lead will be 
taken automatically at a long distance than a 
short. In any event it has been found in practice 
that swinging the gun from beneath to cover and 
hide the mark will usually result in a kill. This 
is probably the easiest shot made in duck shooting 
for the first barrel. 

No sooner, though, has this first load been 
fired than the second charge has its work cut out 
for it. Many species of ducks will tower with 
the bang of the gun, maybe rising straight into 
the air or even beating back upon the course 
they came. In consequence the left barrel, if 
not sent in promptly, will have to be fired well 
above and possibly, paradoxical as It may seem, 
behind the duck, considering the route it was 
traveling when the right was pulled. Most likely 
the scared flock will merely sheer off, mounting at 
the same time, and the new angle of flight must 
be instantly reckoned with if the shot is to go 
home. 



134 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

A duck that is coming at a high clip which he 
deflects into a sheering, curving tower is about 
as hard a nut to crack as comes under the wing- 
shooter's mallet. One half second may take the 
mark out of range, and a man's thinking appara- 
tus must work fast. Certain other varieties of 
duck, like the bluewing teal and the canvasback, 
will not flinch or tower, but continue directly on 
with redoubled speed. Now the bird will pass 
the gun which must turn on him, affording quite 
a different shot from the other. Then in order 
to lead the hold must be low — well under — some- 
times as much as three feet, but the farther the 
mark is allowed to go the closer it is covered, 
since with distance it comes more directly into 
the line of fire and the charge is sent more closely 
in the line of flight. 

Many birds passing well out will also swerve 
and rise with the report, which necessitates a 
lessening of the front lead to direct the second 
charge higher. A certain duck might be killed 
by shooting eight feet ahead of him, but to kill 
his mate with the second barrel it should go only 
two feet in front and two feet high. On firing 
the right barrel an experienced shot ought to be 
able to foretell pretty well what the remainder 
of the flock would do by knowing the species of 
fowl. The acme of duck shooting is to make 



HINTS ON SHOOTING GAME BIRDS 1S5 

both shots tell, the indifferent performer fre- 
quently being effective with the first. 

It will usually be discovered that birds which 
pass to the right call for a greater lead than those 
flying to the left, because a right hand gunner 
swings less freely and rapidly in that direction. 
In the case of the writer, a third more lead must 
be given when swinging to the right. Of course 
the opposite would be true were the shooter left 
handed. 

The surest double is to be made while the birds 
are approaching the gun, never permitting them 
to pass by. Turning to shoot in a restricted 
blind is trying, and more so from a duck boat. 
If the ducks are close up take the leader first, 
but if farther out select the rear fowl and those 
closer up can hardly escape being shot at. There 
is room for coolness and good judgment in this. 
Should you choose the leading bird and fire too 
quickly, those behind him may climb out of reach, 
while trying for a rear fowl after they are well 
in may force a difficult turn on the others. 

A descending bird is a hard shot, both by rea- 
son of his increased speed and because a gun 
cannot well be swung down, and the descending 
line of flight must be met by a still gun, as in 
snap shooting, causing a loss of all the advan- 
tage of swinging with the target. A rising bird 



136 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

is far easier, and hence it is well in decoy shoot- 
ing to pull just as the fowl is hovering to alight, 
or take him in his upward climb away from 
danger. 

In jumping ducks close study should be given 
as to the variety of fowl we are starting. A mal- 
lard usually climbs nearly straight upward, a 
.shot just in front of the bill should get him. On 
the contrary a teal scurries off low along the 
marsh, and the holding must be well ahead and 
only a trifle high. A widgeon makes one great 
bound upward and then goes off at a sharp angle. 
If quick enough the hunter's surest shot on the 
widgeon is at the end of this leap when the duck 
will be about ten feet high. Any dwelling upon 
the aim here is fatal, since the bird will change 
his line of flight acutely, and a long swing will 
have to be made after the speeding mark. 

A pintail climbs and gradually bears off, at 
the same time circling the gun. When jumped 
he is one of the easiest birds to kill, because of 
this circling habit which keeps him within range 
of the gun for such a length of time. A green- 
wing teal behaves very like a mallard but is 
quicker in action. It is seldom that any except 
fresh water ducks are killed by jumping them 
from the edge of a marsh. 



CHAPTER VIII 

Clay Bird Shooting 

IN this chapter on clay bird shooting no pre- 
tense of giving expert instruction will be 
made. The man who is desirous of going 
up against our skilled professionals at tourna- 
ments must receive his teaching where alone it 
can be given in a practical form, at the open 
meets where none are barred. 

The average, ambitious young marksman can 
become a winning trap shot if his ambition, stay- 
ing qualities, opportunities, and finances will 
stand the strain. However, the man who would 
attain winning tournament form has set for him- 
self a herculean task these days. At a rough 
guess I should estimate that there are a hundred 
thousand men in America who do more or less 
trap shooting, and of these there may be twenty 
real cracks among the amateurs and as many 
top-notch professionals. In professional trap 
shooting there isn't much room, even at the top, 
with a deuce of a strenuous road getting there. 
The usual process of schooling and graduating 
137 



138 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

is something, like this: The youngster with the 
good eye, steady nerve, and strong physique 
must practice with his home club until he can lick 
all his mates to a frazzle. His preliminary work 
should be under the most trying conditions pos- 
sible, throwing his birds as far as the traps will 
send them, granting his companions handicaps 
of from two to four yards, and shooting generally 
at unknown angles. When he can smother just 
about everything he shoots at, has found a gun 
and load exactly adapted to himself and the work, 
and has reached a form which he considers un- 
beatable, then he is in shape to attend a big 
shoot. 

When he does that he should make up his mind 
to begin with that he is not going to win, not go- 
ing to come anywhere near winning. In fact, 
the great lesson before him now is to learn to 
lose with equanimity, without becoming rattled 
or discouraged. It is proverbially easy to run 
a winning race, the only kind he has been accus- 
tomed to heretofore, but now he must learn to 
keep a stout heart when back in the ruck, when 
he is not only being beaten but distanced. The 
novice may have skill, but he will run up against 
equal skill, combined with experience, trained 
nerves, and a phlegmatic philosophy that ac- 
cepts things as they come. There never was a 



CLAY BIRD SHOOTING 139 

man so good that he couldn't be beaten, and if 
he allows that to worry him defeats will become 
the rule. However, the beginner can console him- 
self with the knowledge that the hardened old 
sinners who are now licking him to a standstill 
have been through the very course of sprouts 
they are treating him to; they survived it and 
so can he — if he is exactly built for the game. 

I make no doubt but our great clay bird shots 
are the most skillful gun-pointers that the world 
has ever known. I am saying this advisedly, re- 
membering the scientific work of military marks- 
men, the hairsplitting accuracy of scheutzen 
riflemen, the deadliness of the modern big game 
hunter, the skill of the pigeon shot, or the in- 
stinctive, inexplicable performances of the snap 
shot afield. No other class of marksmen has 
ever made the same determined effort to acquire 
gun skill — it is no uncommon thing for the arti- 
ficial target shot to fire two hundred cartridges, 
day after day, and sometimes a thousand rounds 
in a single day. Such an effort, intelligently 
applied, is bound to result in extraordinary pro- 
ficiency, and it does. At the present time a score 
of a hundred straight fails to attract a passing 
glance, and ninety-five per cent, for an entire 
shooting season wouldn't set the shooting world 
afire. 



140 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

Nowadays there is a craze for high scores and 
wonderful averages. The most unfortunate 
thing about this is that the ordinary shot becomes 
discouraged if he shoots below ninety, and as a 
consequence the management of shooting tourna- 
ments have been forced to make the shooting con- 
ditions too mechanical and too easy. Birds are 
thrown with but moderate force, and with the 
greatest uniformity. The angles of flight are 
never very sharp, never varying from the 
straightaway enough to require or develop good 
judgment in leading. Moreover, the butt of the 
gun is held to the shoulder before calling " pull," 
and the gunner knows exactly when and where 
his bird is to be sprung — all of which tends to 
high percentages without being especially good 
practice for field work. 

However, trap shooting is an excellent sport, 
entirely aside from any desire to shine as a fixed 
star. Congenial company, the merry crack of 
nitro powder, the elation that comes from prob- 
lems attacked and mastered, the competition that 
is sharp without bitterness, are equally possible 
for us all, the good, the moderate, and the indif- 
ferent. 

Individuals and small clubs that shoot for 
sport, or as a means of increasing skill which 
will be useful in field work, need not confine them- 



CLAY BIRD SHOOTING 141 

selves to hard and fast rules, especially as re- 
gards manner of throwing the targets and 
handling the gun. The man who desires to ac- 
quire facility and deftness' in the use of his 
weapon had better not place it to his shoulder 
before calling pull, as is now the universal custom 
among trap shooters. It is much better to hold 
his gun as he would when expecting the rise of 
wild game, taking his chances of missing through 
not bringing the arm to his shoulder properly 
just as he would be obliged to do in any other 
description of wing-shooting. 

Nothing calls forth so much criticism from 
the field shot as to see a man standing before the 
traps stiffly, his gun glued to his face. Such a 
style is utterly inimical to all grace of action, 
and moreover it is a manner of handling the gun 
that proves useless in any description of wing- 
shooting barring clay birds. Standing up all 
fixed, cocked, and primed, with the gun muzzle 
pointing very nearly to the spot where the piece 
IS to be discharged is something that surely has 
to be unlearned when the gunner attempts legiti- 
mate wing-shooting. 

I have seen a trap shot trying to walk up quail 
with the butt of his gun to his shoulder in its 
customary trap shooting position, and, to put 
it in a feminine way, he looked a sight — neither 



142 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

could he shoot. The old rule of gun beneath 
the elbow until the marksman called pull is much 
better, always provided the gunner is trying to 
learn wing-shooting and not clay bird smashing 
for a record. 

It occurs to me that the clay bird and trap can 
be much better used in teaching shooting on the 
wing than it ever has been. The man who is de- 
sirous of learning to swing and to lead his mark 
such a distance as is often needful in wildfowl 
work, cannot expect to be taught this by prac- 
ticing exclusively at straightaway and easy 
quartering birds. Neither is there any reason 
why he should not have his birds thrown at any 
desired angle to the gun, as will be noted in the 
chapter on Primary Lessons. Even clubs which 
ordinarily are obliged to shoot under the rules 
of the Interstate will find it an attractive change 
to try the game occasionally; one man up and 
birds thrown at widely varying angles. 

The ingenuity of the marksman will readily 
suggest shots that approach field conditions. 
Beware of high flung birds which rise and hang 
in the air; they are no better practice than old 
tin cans tossed up. 

Of course all this sort of thing implies that 
there shall not be too many guns at work and is 
especially adapted to country clubs and small 



CLAY BIRD SHOOTING US 

shooting parties. Where clubs embrace a num- 
ber of gunners, as thej usually do in the city, 
or when time is a factor, it will be necessary to 
follow trap shooting rules pretty closely in order 
that everyone shall have a fair amount of prac- 
tice and a like opportunity. 

The man who desires to compete at tourna- 
ments or club shoots should be conversant with 
the trap shooting rules of the Interstate Asso- 
ciation. Space in this chapter will not permit 
me to give these further than instructions for 
placing the traps and throwing the targets. 
However, the rules will be sent to anyone who 
applies to the secretary. 

Formerly trap shooting was from either three 
or ^ve traps, set three to five yards apart, some- 
times in the segment of a circle, at others in a 
straight line. The traps were screened of course 
and the birds might be thrown from unknown 
traps and unknown angles, known traps and un- 
known angles, or known traps and known angles. 

However, the rules of the Interstate Associa- 
tion call for either a single automatic trap, or 
three traps, set four feet apart (which amounts 
to practically the same thing as one, since the 
shooter knows where his bird is to rise). For 
manner of throwing the birds, I cannot do better 
than quote from the booklet of the Interstate 
Trap Shooter's Association. 



144 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

Flights and Angles 

" Targets, whether singles or doubles, shall be 
thrown not less than forty-five yards nor more 
than fifty-five yards, with a flight between six 
and twelve feet high at a point ten yards from 
the trap. Except in double target shooting, the 
flight of targets shall be at unknown angles, 
thrown within an area of forty-five degrees right 
and left of an imaginary straight line drawn 
through the center of number three firing point, 
and prolonged through the center of the central 
trap or through the center of the single trap 
where one is used. In single target shooting, to 
aid in distinguishing targets within and without 
bounds, four stakes, not less than three feet in 
height, shall be placed in the arc of a circle whose 
radii are fifty yards and whose center is the cen- 
ter of the central trap or the center of the sin- 
gle trap where one is used. Respectively right 
and left of the aforementioned straight line, two 
of the stakes shall be placed upright, one at 
forty-five degrees and one at sixty-five degrees 
in said arc." 

Doubles 

" Each double shall be thrown as a right and 



CLAY BIRD SHOOTING 



145 



left quarterer, whose flight shall be limited to the 
two areas between twenty and sixty-five degrees 
right and left of an imaginary straight line 
drawn through the center of number three firing 
point and prolonged through the center of the 
central trap or through the center of the single 




Arrangement of Firing Points in Reference 

TO Traps 
trap, where one is used. To aid in distinguish- 
ing between the targets within and without the 
bounds, four stakes, not less than three feet in 
height, shall be placed in the arc of a circle 
whose radii are fifty yards, and whose center is 
'the center of the central trap or the center of 
the single trap where one is used. Respectively 
right and left of the aforementioned straight line 



146 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

two of the stakes shall be placed upright, one at 
twenty degrees and one at sixty-five degrees." 

Pits and Screens 

" Pits and screens shall be used to protect the 
trappers. The screens shall not be higher than 
is necessary for such protection. 

Firing Points 

" The firing points shall be three to five yards 
apart in the circumference of a circle whose radii 
are sixteen yards (see diagram). 

Distance Handicaps 

" The distance handicaps when used shall be 
on the prolongation of lines given in diagram 
one, commonly known as ' fanshaped.' The dis- 
tance between the firing points at sixteen yards 
shall then be nine feet." (See diagram.) 

I cannot quote further from the rules of the 
Interstate, but provision is made for squads of 
five guns which are to face the trap from posi- 
tions marked 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, all the firing 
points being equally distant from the central 
trap and consequently in the segment of a circle 
whose diameter is thirty-two yards. 

Under old trap shooting rules a 12 gauge gun 



CLAY BIRD SHOOTING 



147 



was placed at sixteen yards, a 10 gauge at eigh- 
teen, 16 gauge, fourteen, and 20 gauge, thirteen, 
but the Interstate makes no provision for any 
gun other than a 12. A shooter may be handi- 
capped back to twenty-three yards as noted in 
the diagram. 




How Distance Handicaps May Be Measured 
AT THE Firing Points 

Clubs containing a number of members, espe- 
cially where their weekly or monthly program in- 
cludes money or medal shoots, will find it neces- 
sary to adopt some sort of a handicap in order 
to equalize conditions and keep up interest among 
the weaker marksmen. 

The handicap may take the shape of dead 
birds added to the score, or some similar scheme. 



148 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

but the best and most practical handicap is that 
of distance. The tyro should be placed on the 
sixteen yard line and others back of him until 
the strongest shot gets the limit of twenty-three 
yards where that Is necessary — which will not 
be very often. It is not in human nature to go 
up against a losing game continually, and con- 
ditions must be made such as to give everyone a 
fighting chance of coming out on top. 

iNSxaucTioNs FOR Shooting Clay Bieds 

Before any expert form can be reached by the 
clay bird shot he will have to acquire a founda- 
tion of quick and regular time. Regularity of 
time is more important in artificial bird work 
than in any other branch of wing-shooting. Ow- 
ing to its peculiarity of flight, starting very rap- 
idly and quickly losing momentum, together with 
its natural rise and fall, there can be no unifor- 
mity of lead and holding unless the target is 
caught at just about one point in its course, 
which point must not be allowed to vary. The 
man who breaks one bird within forty-five feet 
of the trap, while permitting the next one to get 
seventy-five feet away, is certain of many ciphers 
on the score board. 

A trained trap shot will break bird after bird 



CLAY BIRD SHOOTING 149 

at any given angle within five feet of the same 
spot; indeed, he appears to be hitting them at 
one precise time from which he hardly varies a 
foot. The logical necessity for this becomes ap- 
parent as soon as we begin studying the flight of 
artificial targets. The bird starts from a posi- 
tion at the ground and rises so rapidly that at 
ten yards from the trap it is from six to twelve 
feet high. It continues to rise but at a slower 
rate as it loses momentum, until a point is 
reached where it begins to fall. From this it is 
evident that if the aim is caught close to the trap 
the charge must be sent high, farther out the 
hold might be dead on, and later still, below the 
bird. 

The gunner's natural disposition, whether he 
is phlegmatic or nervous, will obviously govern 
his time to some extent, and experience will best 
teach him at what point he is most certain of his 
target, but when he has settled upon this spot 
he should stick to it. Above all, beware of the 
change of time that comes from overcautiousness, 
overanxiety, or that sheer nervousness that forces 
a man to cut loose without an aim. So long as 
a marksman can be rattled into changing his 
time he will never be a reliable shot. The fault 
to be the most carefully guarded against, how- 
ever, is slowing up in an attempt to make sure 



150 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

of a bird at the wind up of what threatens to be 
a winning score. The best advice I could give 
an amateur when he finds himself growing anx- 
ious, slowing up, is to quit thinking, crack away, 
and don't give a hang. Never stop to blame 
yourself for misses and they will not occur half 
as often. 

The need of fast as well as regular time can 
readily be proved. A clay bird which is strongly 
thrown is supposed to leave the trap with an ini- 
tial velocity of one hundred and fifty feet a sec- 
ond. The bird loses momentum rapidly, but in 
one second it should fly seventy-five feet. Sev- 
enty-five feet is twenty-five yards, and this added 
to the sixteen yards which the marksman is back 
of the trap would put the target approximately 
forty yards from the gun when it is broken. The 
sharp edge of a clay bird is a pretty small mark 
to be hit with absolute certainty by the pattern 
of a shotgun at distances above forty yards ; per- 
mitting the target to fly farther than this is 
quite certain to lead to misses through holes in 
the pattern; even the suspicion that that might 
be the case is inimical to good work. We may 
therefore conclude that one second of time con- 
sumed in aiming is the limit, and preferably the 
trigger should be pulled considerably quicker. 

The man who shoots in one second can break 



CLAY BIRD SHOOTING 161 

a great many birds, but under some conditions of 
wind, weather, and strong, low-throwing traps he 
will find himself too slow. Indeed, with gun to 
the shoulder and birds going from known traps 
at known angles, the quick shot should be able 
to cover his bird in half a second. Even with 
unknown angles but known traps, the usual style, 
he should fire in three-fourths of a second which 
should catch the fastest birds inside forty yards. 
I have never yet seen a trap shot that I thought 
was too quick, always provided he shot with an 
aim, but on the other hand seventy-five per cent, 
of amateur shooters are too slow. 

Naturally, if this quick and regular time is to 
be acquired, there must be no poking or pottering 
or hesitation to make sure of the aim. When 
the bird is sprung the gun should obviously be 
pointed beneath it somewhere so as not to ob- 
struct the view. The instant the target is seen 
bring the piece up sharply to cover it, make 
your allowance for lead the moment the bird ap- 
pears and you note its angle of flight; when the 
muzzle rises high enough, fire, regardless of 
whether you are off or on. If you lack mechan- 
ical ability to place the charge to the spot where 
you know it should go, that is something to be 
amended by practice and not by dwelling upon 
the aim. If by hesitation and a second aim to 



162 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

correct the first you should get your bird, the 
pottering would shortly become habitual with the 
certain result of never acquiring proficiency at 
this game. With the birds thrown as they are 
according to trap shooting rules, no great al- 
lowance for lead is necessary as compared with 
wildfowl shooting, but the problems to be mas- 
tered are rather those of mechanical accuracy 
in gun-pointing and quickness and regularity of 
time. 

A further important reason for quickness of 
time in clay bird shooting is their flight char- 
acteristics. The targets are light and very 
easily affected by the wind; the longer the flight 
the greater the wind drift, as a matter of course. 
Moreover, the flight of a clay bird is something 
in the nature of the chips you used to sail when 
a boy. You could start them pretty straight 
and for a time they would maintain the line, but 
with loss of velocity their movements became too 
erratic to be foreseen. 

In the same way, for the first twenty yards a 
clay bird seems to fly almost as straight as a 
bullet, then the air begins to influence it, caus- 
ing swerves, dips, and jumps that the wisest 
judgment cannot anticipate or make allowance 
for. My advice would be always to catch your 
bird within fifty or sixty feet of the trap if you 



CLAY BIRD SHOOTING 16S 

can; if you cannot, then quicken your time, no 
matter if you lose birds by doing so. Both the 
needs of shotgun pattern and the necessity of 
catching the target while it is in regular flight 
necessitate quick time. 

In giving instructions for clay bird shooting 
many emphasize the importance of calculating 
the effect of a stiff wind in drifting the shot 
charge, stating that the pellets are often drifted 
three feet or more. Perhaps this is true in long 
shots, though it has always seemed to me that 
the target being subject to the influence of the 
same breeze would drift more than the pellets of 
shot. In any event, the best way to beat the 
wind is to quicken time, getting onto your bird 
within thirty-three yards if you can. Don't 
handicap yourself by allowing the wind to blow 
on you or your bird or your shot charge a mo- 
ment longer than you are obliged to. 

In time every trap shot develops a style best 
adapted to his own individuality. No man can 
excel another purely by imitating him. Never- 
theless the novice can acquire many valuable hints 
by watching the work of a veteran. One thing 
almost anyone ought to be able to do and that is 
to see the faults of the other fellow. One of 
these, common to even many expert shots, is 
leaning away over the gun in a stiff, strained, un- 



154 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

natural attitude, which adds nothing to a man's 
control over his weapon and detracts from grace 
and endurance. 

The 12 gauge gun weighing between seven and 
a half and eight pounds is the generally accepted 
trap gun. It should be full choked and should 
make the evenest possible pattern with 3 1-4 
drams of powder and an ounce and a fourth of 
7 1-S chilled shot. Whether the arm is to be a 
double barrel, single barrel, repeater, or auto- 
matic is much a matter of personal preference. 
Long barrels are much favored, while the stock 
should be a trifle longer than for field work and 
straight enough to throw the center of charge 
twenty inches above the point of aim at fort^ 
yards. 



CHAPTER IX 

FIELD ETIQUETTE 

I AM aware that in writing of field etiquette 
the chapter must have a didactic ring with 
its consequent dullness. My advice, there- 
fore, to all who are fully acquainted with the 
unwritten laws that govern the sportsman on 
field and marsh, is to " cut this out." However, 
I do not feel that it would be right to close this 
book without a word on the subject, for there are 
two classes that I wish to reach, the novice who 
thinks he is privileged to shoot at everything 
that moves, saving only those guides who wear 
red caps, and the veteran shot who thinks that 
he must make a bag. 

There is no place where the golden rule can be 
better applied than in the shooting field. If we 
govern ourselves by this old precept in the treat- 
ment of our fellows and apply the principles of 
a " square deal " to shooting the game, there need 
be little fear of any hunter forfeiting the title 
of sportsman. 

Some wise man has said that every man is a 
barbarian at heart and only a gentleman from 
policy. There is just enough truth in this to 
155 



156 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

make the saying disagreeable. Whatever he may 
be by nature, military discipline gives to every 
soldier the semblance of a brave man, the needs 
of business and civilization force us all to mas- 
querade in garments of courtesy, the one suit 
much like another, but a man's true nature shows 
through his hunting clothes, and it has been aptly 
said that you never know even a friend until you 
have gone camping with him a week. Certainly 
pursuing wild things is an elementary sport, and 
the elementary in us is liable to be thrown into 
relief, betraying qualities good and bad that were 
never seen before. 

Too many men afield are governed by the idea 
that it is everyone for himself and the devil take 
the hindmost. Put them in a pen and they will 
have the biggest ear of corn, though they know 
that in the nature of things this will lead to their 
dining alone in future. Courtesy afield is bread 
cast upon the waters which will surely return, but 
many seem bent upon eating their own bread at 
the time, taking chances on picking up that of 
someone else as it comes back. 

The absolutely selfish individual can get along 
nicely in all his shooting and fishing trips, with 
the greatest satisfaction to everybody, with the 
possible exception of himself, by going entirely 
alone. Should he need human companionship 



FIELD ETIQUETTE 167 

a darkey or well-trained English domestic will 
serve him best. He can then take the first shot 
at every bevy, and every bird that follows be- 
longs to him; he can have the choice duck blind 
and all the decoys ; the best boat or the only boat 
is his; he can have the snipe corner all to him- 
self; there are none to question his superiority 
as a marksman, and paid servants will be more 
pliable than any good tempered friend whom he 
may draft for the purpose. Such a man will re- 
quire no instructions in shooting etiquette or any 
other etiquette, for the uses of politeness are only 
to make companionship agreeable. 

So far as the ethics of game shooting in a 
sportsmanlike manner are concerned, a few words 
on the subject will suffice. With the possible ex- 
ception of the wild turkey, which should really 
be made the target for a rifle only, no game bird 
should ever be fired upon when not in full flight. 
This rule must never be broken under any cir- 
cumstances except to finish a cripple. I have 
known men who considered themselves good sports- 
men who would shoot a quail or a grouse out of 
a tree, though they would not fire upon him when 
on the ground. Their defense was that the bird 
had forfeited his life by taking to a tree and thus 
refusing them a fair shot. This is merely whip- 
ping the devil around the stump, and such hair 



158 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

splitters might be greatly tempted to take a pot- 
shot in the first place were no one present. 

No more should a wild duck ever be killed upon 
the water or at rest, no matter how difficult the 
stalk or how scarce the birds may be. A bag 
of birds killed in any manner except fairly upon 
the wing must be regarded as having afforded ab- 
solutely no sport, as not a whit better than an 
utterly blank day. Indeed, the latter can bring 
no after regrets and the former surely should to 
every decent sportsman. 

The only possible excuse for shooting a bird at 
rest is that we may feed our vanity by displaying 
him, or that he is actually needed to satisfy 
hunger — few modern sportsmen are going about 
hungry these days. If the bag is of prime im- 
portance, if it must be filled regardless of the laws 
of sport, there is nothing to be said further than 
that the man who so feels is purely a meat hunter. 
Let the conscience of a good sportsman govern 
your actions when out all alone where there can 
be no policeman to knock you over the head for a 
failure to consider the rights of others. 

Rabbits should never be shot unless going full 
tilt, and squirrels are not a fair target for a shot- 
gun, not even when running. For that matter, 
many hold that nothing wearing hair or fur should 
ever fall before a smooth bore, and they are not 



FIELD ETIQUETTE 169 

very far wrong either. The rifle is the proper 
arm for such game. 

Shoot no immature birds in season or out, and 
never make a target of anything that is not recog- 
nized as game. The temptation to shoot small 
birds is great at times when the shooting is poor, 
but sportsmen will not do it. 

In flight shooting wildfowl the greatest plea- 
sure comes from selecting your bird and cutting 
him down stone dead. Flock shooting is permiss- 
able because sanctioned by custom, but there is 
no great satisfaction in letting go into the middle 
of a flock of ducks without aim, however many 
may be bagged. This is especially true of shoot- 
ing shore birds which frequently fly slowly and 
in large bunches. Cripples should always be 
knocked over where at all possible before another 
shot is fired at the living birds. Taking wild shots 
that are admittedly beyond the range of the gun 
is unsportsmanlike, though nearly all of us must 
plead guilty to that. 

Shooting in Company 

Man is a gregarious animal, especially in his 
sports and games. Even the solemn individual 
who plays solitaire likes to have an audience to 
see whether he beats " bogy " or not. Few would 



160 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

enjoy shooting and tramping alone for many 
days in succession, yet to enjoy the company of 
another we must make ourselves agreeable. No 
rule of thumb will make a selfish man generous, 
but possibly a word of warning will prevent the 
novice from dropping into bad habits. Shooting 
I have found to develop three characteristics in 
a great many, hoggishness, jealousy, and envy, 
any one of which is liable to become a spoil- 
sport. 

If your friend is a better shot than you, keep 
your mind off it and do the best you can. Should 
you excel, then for sport's sake give him a show, 
for taking advantage of one who is weaker is not 
to be excused under any code of ethics. 

There are two abominable fellows to shoot with, 
the man who is a good shot and thinks he must 
sustain his reputation at whatever cost, and the 
" claimer." Sometimes they are compounded in 
one, and the mixture makes a bitter dose. This 
man knocks down your bird as well as his own with 
the expressed fear that you might have missed. 
He takes all the singles for the same reason — 
" feared you might lose that fellow." He sends 
his friend around to beat the brush for him and 
drive the game out while he takes it in the open. 
His shooting companion always plays dog when 
one is needed; the chump invariably pulls the 



FIELD ETIQUETTE 161 

boat and he does the shooting. All the birds at 
which both fire are his because he never misses 
and you probably did. At the close of the day's 
shooting he counts your birds and his own with 
ill concealed triumph, and then goes away to tell 
of how thoroughly he bested you. Have none of 
him; he is playing you for a sucker, a foil to his 
vanity. While the individual illustrated is known 
to all and will be with us always, yet it is not 
necessary for the novice to pattern his behavior 
after him. 

Such simple rules of procedure as I may give 
here are dictated by common sense and a proper 
regard for the rights of others. They are in 
such common observance among sportsmen that 
it might seem a waste of time to put them in type, 
but I have seen them violated so often that it is 
fair to assume that ignorance Is as often to 
blame as selfishness. 

Beginning with wild fowl, in duck shooting upon 
public waters, the first man out in the morning 
is entitled to choice of blinds, or his pick of loca- 
tion for a blind. He is then not to be interfered 
with either by another gun stopping near enough 
to scare his birds or by getting upon his line of 
flight. Wilfully spoiling the sport of another 
without benefitting himself is the game of a city 
tough or a country " rough neck." Of course this 



162 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

has no reference to the friends who may from 
choice shoot from the same or from adjacent 
blinds. 

When two guns are shooting from the same 
hiding place the leader of an incoming flock of 
ducks should be given to the rear man who is also 
entitled to fire the first shot. If only one duck or 
a pair come in they belong to the man upon 
whose side they approach. If a flock of birds are 
passing, the gunner they reach last is entitled to 
give the word to fire. Should a pair of blinds be 
situated a short distance apart, as usually hap- 
pens, one marksman must never be tempted to 
shoot at birds that are passing directly over the 
other gun until its owner has discharged both bar- 
rels. Few things are more provocative of ill feel- 
ing than to have one gun take birds that plainly 
belonged to the other, either killing them or driv- 
ing them away. The shooter who will do this be- 
longs to the impossible class — the go it alone and 
be hanged to them. Neither should a man call to 
birds that are evidently decoying to another. 

Where two men are shooting from a boat, as 
in jumping ducks, the one pulling while the other 
handles the gun, nothing should tempt the oars- 
man to touch his gun — not even stopping cripples 
that are othei-wise sure to escape. For the time 
his sole business is to manage the boat. 



FIELD ETIQUETTE 163 

With a fixed time to begin and desist from 
shooting upon a marsh, whether the hour was set 
by law or a club, never fail to observe the rule 
to the minute. Should the gunner permit himself 
to be tempted into shooting previous to the pre- 
scribed time, he would be infringing upon the 
rights of others by starting the fowl to flying 
before the blinds had been occupied. Shooting 
after hours is also an unwarranted liberty as it 
may injure the sport of the following day. 

If any man takes a bird that was undoubtedly 
yours, claim the fowl and place it in your bag; 
it may teach the selfish shooter a lesson. 

In field shooting two are company and three 
a crowd, unless the trio of guns are very steady 
and accustomed to working together. More 
than three guns should never follow one brace of 
dogs. 

When two men are shooting together, each over 
his own dog, the bird or shot belongs to the man 
whose dog found it, and his friend should never 
fire first unless invited to do so. It is nothing 
short of dishonesty to take the bird that has 
been found by the dog of another except with the 
owner's express permission. Should but one of 
the party own a dog the duties of a host fall upon 
him, requiring that he give his companion a fair 
share of the shooting. 



164 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

In covej shooting an imaginary line should be 
kept in mind, the birds going to the right of this 
belonging to the gun on that side and all upon the 
other to the left gun. A disagreeable thing that 
will happen now and then is to have both guns 
discharged at one bird. This should occur but 
rarely if care is exercised not to shoot upon the 
wrong side of the line, and when it does the bird 
belongs to the man upon whose ground it has 
fallen. 

The business of " wiping the eye " of another, 
as it is called, is not to be commended. The bird 
belongs to the man upon whose side it breaks until 
he has fired both barrels, and he should not be 
interfered with, hurried, or rattled by the fear of 
another charge cutting in. When he has finished 
shooting it will generally be too late for the second 
man to deliver a killing shot, and one that merely 
pricks or wounds is very unsportsmanlike. A 
continued and deliberate attempt to kill game that 
has been missed by another can only result in de- 
veloping unpleasantness. Shooting at the bird of 
another before he has had time to fire both barrels 
is an indefensible proceeding. 

The owner of the dog which is standing game 
has the right to point out the positions which 
other guns should occupy when the bevy breaks, 
but his duty as host would demand that he did 



FIELD ETIQUETTE 165 

not select the place of vantage for himself. If 
necessary for someone to walk the game up, he 
can delegate this duty to another or assume it 
himself. For the time being he is master of cere- 
monies. 

In cover shooting, two guns hunting together 
should be the limit, and these must keep in close 
touch with one another. When of necessity they 
are forced to separate constant signals should 
be exchanged. The man who violates this rule en- 
dangers both himself and his companion. I can 
recall shooting quail with a friend in the hazel 
thickets of Illinois. We took separate paths and 
lost sight of one another for a few seconds. Look- 
ing down a hazel lane I saw my dog pointing. As 
I started for him a quail broke, taking a course 
straight for my head. I dodged and at the same 
time the other gun cracked, overshooting the bird 
and thus missing me. My companion violated two 
rules in thus shooting, flushing birds to the point 
of another's dog without permission and firing 
at all without absolutely knowing the whereabouts 
of the other gun. 

In a nearly similar occurrence a fine young 
sportsman of St. Louis had both eyes shot out. 
Remember that there is little time to think after 
the game is on the wing so every precaution must 
be taken previous to flushing the bird, and the 



166 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

man who is willing to take the slightest chance of 
injuring another for the sake of shooting is a 
criminal in the guise of a sportsman. 

I doubt if there is one experienced gunner who 
has not at some time or other had his ears split 
with the sharp crack of nitro powder. More than 
one gunner has had his hearing permanently in- 
jured by this fool's trick, and many a day has 
been spoiled by it. The author vividly remem- 
bers shooting with a man who was partially deaf, 
and who not being able to hear much himself was 
utterly reckless about other people's ears. When 
the gentleman did catch a sound it seemed that 
he heard it most plainly, and finally while he was 
busy aiming I let off my gun behind his head. 
The one lesson was enough. 

When field shooting in a settled community, 
never fire a shot within less than forty rods of 
a house, or of people at work in the field. There 
may be ladies and children about the place who 
will be rendered nervous by the sound of a gun, 
and this will finally provoke the owner into for- 
bidding all shooting. That express permission 
may have been given to shoot where you wished 
is all the more reason why the rights of the gener- 
ous proprietor should be carefully guarded. For 
the same reason keep out of stock pastures and 
away from teams; half the ill will of farmers to- 



FIELD ETIQUETTE 167 

ward hunters is engendered by reckless shooting 
that might do damage. 

In shooting by invitation over the lands or 
marshes of another, carefully obey the instruc- 
tions of your host. Should he send you to a part 
of the estate where you know birds are scarce, go 
there and nowhere else. Neither go outside of 
the grounds he marks out for you, remembering 
that he and not you may be held responsible for 
your conduct in poaching on forbidden lands. In 
the same way accept the poorest duck blind with- 
out question or complaint, taking it for granted 
that your host is doing the best he can for you 
and that your time will come later. The position 
of host to a party of gunners is sufficiently trying 
without your adding to it by grumbling even to 
yourself. 

A word now as to the manner of carrying and 
handling the gun: the one big thing to remember 
is never to point an unloaded gun at anything 
you have no private reasons for wishing to kill. 
Little need be said relative to carelessly handling 
loaded and cocked guns — they never kill anybody. 
The man who keeps forever covering you with the 
muzzle of his gun should be regarded simply as a 
vicious lunatic and proper precautions taken. 

In the field three positions for carrying the 
gun are recognized as safe and good. The first 



168 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING 

is over the shoulder with the side of the stock rest- 
ing upon it and the muzzle of the gun pointing 
upward; the second is over the hollow of the arm 
with the muzzle directed away from your com- 
panion; the third is under the right arm with 
the barrels pointed toward the ground. Carrying 
the arm across the back of the neck is unsafe and 
marks a rowdy with the same certainty as tilting 
the hat on the back of the head. 

When walking up to a point, if on the left, 
hold the weapon across the body nearly at right 
angles with the muzzle a trifle high, but if on the 
right keep the piece directed straight out and 
down. A right and left handed man shoot to- 
gether with greater ease and security than when 
both are right handed. 

Here are just a few things to be remembered: 
It hurts just as much to be shot accidentally as 
with evil intent. You cannot impress anybody 
with your skill as a shot by beating him through 
unfair means. You cannot obtain a shooting rep- 
utation by telling people how well you have shot 
or can shoot. It is easy to see hoggishness in the 
other fellow and his eyes are as good as yours. 
Don't borrow a dog or a gun or loan either. 
Don't exceed the bag limit or shoot out of season. 
Stand for a " square deal " yourself and other 
people will see that you get it. 

THE END 



HANDBOOKS 



Each book deals with a separate subject 
and deals with it thoroughly. If you want to 
know anything about Airedales an Q U T ' l N G 
HANDBOOK gives you all you want. If 
it's Apple Growing, another OUTilNO 
HANDBOOK meets your need. The Fish- 
erman, the Camper, the Poultry-raiser, the 
Automobilist, the Horseman, all varieties of 
outdoor enthusiasts, will find separate volumes 
for their separate interests. There ii no 
waste space. 

The series is based on the plan of one 
subject to a book and each book complete. 
The authors are experts. Each book has been 
specially prepared for this series and all are 
published in uniform style, flexible cloth 
binding, selHng at the fixed price of seventy 
cents per copy. 

^ Two hundred titles are projected. The 
series covers all phases of outdoor life, from 
bee-keeping to big game shooting. The 
books now ready or in preparation are de- 
scribed on the following pages: 



OUnNGPUBLISHINQ'COMPANY 



Outing Handbooks 



The Airedale. By William Haynea. This book opens with a 
short chapter on the origin and development of the Airedale as 
a distinctive breed. The author then takes up the problems of 
type as bearing on the selection of the dog, breeding, training 
and use. The book Is designed for the non-professional dog 
fancier who wishes common sense advice which does not in- 
volve elaborate preparation or expenditure. Chapters are In- 
cluded on the care of the dog in the kennel and simple 
remedies for ordinary diseases. 

The Amateur Gunsmith. Edited by Horace Kephart. Every man 
who owns a gun yields at some time or other to the tempta- 
tion to take it apart. Usually he regrets having yielded to this 
temptation when it comes time to reassemble. This book is 
designed to aid the inquisitive and deft-fingered who do not 
care or are unable to turn the gun over to a professional gun- 
smith for repair. It is thirty years since anything of this sort 
appeared, and In that interval the local gunsmiths have prac- 
tically passed out, leaving the gun user to depend entirely upon 
the experts of the large sporting goods dealers in the larger 
cities or the factory of the maker. 

The American Rifle. By Charles Asking. The author has taken 
up in detail the va,rious sporting rifles now in common use, 
and described their different advantages, with the maximum 
caliber and load for various game. An important feature is 
the discussion of trajectory and muzzle velocity as affecting 
range and accuracy. The book is designed especially with 
reference to the needs of the man who wishes to take up the 
use of the rifle or to find a new gun better adapted to the 
uses to which he wishes to put it. 

Apple Growing. By M. C. Burritt. The objective point of this 
book is the home orchard with incidental reference to market 
possibilities. It deals with such matters as the kinds of apples 
best suited to certain localities, the location of the orchard 
and the soil qualities most to be desired, and the varieties that 
can be planted with a reasonable assurance of success. The 
whole problem of planting is dealt with thoroughly and also 
the care of the trees, and the harvesting and storage of the 
fruit. 

The Automobile. — Its Selection, Care and Use. By Robert Slosg 
This is a plain, practical discussion of the things that every 
man needs to know if he is to buy the right car and get the 
most out of it. The various details of operation and care 
are given in simple, intelligible terms. From it the car owner 
can easily learn the mechanism of his motor and the art of 
locating motor trouble, as well as how to use his car for 
the greatest pleasure. A chapter is included on building 
garages. 
Backwoods Surgery and Medicine. By Charles Stuart Moody. A 
handy book for the prudent lover of the woods who doesn't 
expect to be ill but believes in being on the safe side. Com- 
mon-sense methods for the treatment of the ordinary wounds 
and accidents are described — setting a broken limb, reducing 
a dislocation, caring for burns, cuts, etc. Practical remedies 
for camp diseases are recommended, as well as the ordinary 
Indications of the most probable ailments. Includes a list of 
the necessary medical and surgical supplies. 

The manager of a mine in 'Nome, Alaska, writes aa 
folloics: "/ hai^e teen on the trail for pears (twelve 
in the Klondike and Alafika) and have always wanted 
just fiuoh a l)onk as Dr. Moody's Backwoods SurQery 
an4 Medicine." 



Outing Handbooks 



The Beagle. In this book emphasis will be laid on the us* of 
the beagle in the hunting field rather than in the show ring. 
It is designed for the man who wishes to keep a small pack 
for his own enjoyment rather than for the large kennel owner. 
Simple remedies are prescribed and suggestions are given 
as to the best type for the purposes of purchase or breeding. 

Boat and Canoe Building. Edited by Horace Kephart. It is not 
a difficult matter to build a boat or a canoe yourself. All that 
is necessary is to bring together knowledge, manual dexterity, 
and the proper material. The material can be secured almost 
anywhere st little expense. The manual dexterity will come 
with practice and this book furnishes the knowledge. All 
types of the smaller boats and canoes are dealt with and 
suggestions are given as to the building and equipping of 
the smaller sail boats. 

Camp Cookery. By Horace Kephart. "The less a man carries In 
his pack, the mo/e he must carry In his head," says Mr. Kep- 
hart. This book tells what a man should carry in both pack 
and head. Every step is traced— the selection of provisions 
and utensils, with the kind and quantity of each, the prep- 
aration of game, the building of fires the cooking of every 
conceivable kind of food that the camp outfit or woods, fields, 
or streams may provide — even to the making of desserts. 
Every precept is the result of hard practice and long experience. 
Every recipe has been carefully tested. It is the book for the 
man who wants to dine well and wholesomely, but in true 
wilderness fashion without reliance on grocery stores or elab- 
orate camp outfits. It is adapted equally well to the trips of 
every length and to all conditions of climate, season or coun- 
try; the best possible companion for one who wants to travel 
light and live well. 

The chapter headings tell their own story: 
Provisions.— Utensils.—Fires.— Dressing and Keeping Game and 
Fish.— Meat.— Game.— Fish and Shellfish.— Cured Meats, etc.— 
Eggs. — Breadstuffs and Cereals. — Vegetables. — Soups. — Bever- 
ages and Desserts. 

"Scores of new hints may he obtained hy the house- 
keeper as xvell as the camper from Camp Cookery." 
— Portland Oregonian. 

*'I am inclined to thing that the advice contained 
in Mr. Kephart's hook is to he relied on. I had to 
stop reading his recipes for cooking wild fowl— they 
made me hungry.^' — New York Herald. 
''The most useful and valuable hook to the camper 
yet puhlished." — Grand Rapids Herald. 
"Camp Cookery is destined to he in the kit of every 
tent dweller in the country." 
— Edwin Markham in the San Francisco Examiner, 

Exercise and Health. By Dr. Woods Hutchinson. Dr. Hutchin- 
son takes the common-sense view that the greatest problem 
in exercise for most of us is to get enough of the right kind. 
The greatest erz-or in exercise is not to take enough, and the 
greatest danger in athletics is in giving them up. The 
Chapter heads are illuminating: Errors in Exercise.— Exercise 
and the Heart.— Muscle Maketh Man. — The Danger of Stop- 
ping Athletics.— Exercise that Rests. It is written in a direct 
matter-of-fact manner with an avoidance of medical terms, 
and a strong emphasis on the rational, all-round manner of 
living that is best calculated to bring a man to a ripe old 
age with little illness or consciousness of bodily weakness. 



Outing Handbooks 



Farm Drainage and Irrigation. One of the most serious farm 
problems is that connected with water, either its lack or its 
too great abundance. This book gives the simple proved 
facts as to the best methods for taking water off the land or 
bringing it on. It shows the farmer how to bring his swamps 
into cultivation without converting them into sun-dried wastes. 
Also how the sandy stretches may be kept moist and bearing 
through even the driest summer. A knowledge of these simple 
facts will relieve the farmer from the haunting fear of 
drought or the long rains that sometimes blight the spring 
in Northern and Eastern latitudes. 

The Farmer's Bees. The keeping of bees is neither a difficult nor 
expensive matter, nor is it one in which a little knowledge 
is necessarily a dangerous thing. However, there are a few 
elementary facts which could be well learnt, such, for ex- 
ample, as the handling of swarms and the provision of proper 
honey-making food and the care of the bees in winter. This 
book covers this elementary field in a logical and convincing 
manner. 

The Farmer's Bookkeeper. Half of the secret of success in farm- 
ing is knowing the real relation between income and expendi- 
ture. In no business is that so hard to find probably, as in 
farming. Mr. BufCum has presented a simple, common-sense 
method of farm accounting which he has used with great suc- 
cess for many years. It requires no elaborate knowledge of 
bookkeeping and is entirely reliable in showing the farmer 
where his business stands as a going concern. 

The Farmer's Cattle. In this volume the problem discussed is 
two-fold, one of breeding and the other of care. The breed is 
determined largely by the use to which the farmer wishes his 
cattle put, whether for dairy or beef purposes. Their care 
Is affected to a certain extent by the same consideration but 
not so largely. Por the average farmer a combination of the 
two is usually most desirable, and it is in this light that this 
book discusses the problem. All of the information is de- 
signed to avoid unnecessary expense and to save the farmer 
from rushing into extreme and costly experiments or wasting 
his time on valueless mongrel strains. The care of calves 
is discussed in length, as also the stabling and feeding of 
milk cows and the feeding of the stock destined for the 
market. 

The Farmer's Hogs. It was once the boast of Illinois, then the 
biggest grain producing state of the Union, that 90 per cent, 
of the corn raised in that state was fed in the country of its 
origin. Probably 70 per cent, of that amount was fed to hogs. 
That condition still holds in a large measure. Hence this book 
is designed to aid the practical farmer in selecting the best 
hogs for market purposes as well as for home use, and to 
advise him as to their care and feeding so as to insure a 
living profit on their cost and the cost of the grain necessary 
to feed them for market. 

The Farmer's Poultry. It is a proved fact that there is large 
.profit to be made from the raising of poultry but not by the 
amateur who rushes into it without knowledge or experience. 
In this book is given the fruit of many years experience of a 
man who has made poultry raising pay. The birds dealt with 
are not the expensive exotics of the poultry fancier but the 
practical varieties with records as good producers and a good 
name in the market. The reader is taught how to provide 
shelter for his poultry that shall keep them comfortable and 
safe from vermin of all kinds without involving the builder in 
prohibitive expense. The objective point is poultry as a by- 
product of the Farm that shall provide amply for the farmer's 
tabl* with a margin for the market. 



Outing Handbooki 



The Farmer's Vegetable Garden. This is designed especially for 
home growing with some reference, however, to the possibilities 
of market use of over supply. It gives the latest and best 
advice on the raising of the staple vegetables, such as potatoes, 
cabbages, beans, peas, turnips, and so forth. It also shows 
the farmer how, without material trouble or expense he may 
enrich his table with new varieties and lengthen the season 
of his garden's productiveness. It is a manual for the gardener 
who has only odd times to devote to his garden and its 
advice is intended to enable him to use that time to the 
highest advantage. 

Farm Planning. It is a vexing problem with every practical 
farmer to get the greatest possible use out of his land with the 
least possible waste. A stony hillside is not suitable for the 
raising of wheat but it may furnish an excellent location for 
an orchard. A piece of swampy bottom land may not be 
ideal for barley but with proper drainage and cultivation it 
may be unexcelled for a vegetable garden. This book deals 
with just such problems and also with the placing of farm 
buildings, yards, and so forth, in order to make them fit in, 
so that the farm may be kept constantly at its highest pitch of 
usefulness. 

The Fine Art of Fishing. By Samuel G. Camp. Combines the 
pleasure of catching fish with the gratification of following the 
sport in the most approved manner. The suggestions offered 
are helpful to beginner and expert anglers. The range of 
fish and fishing conditions covered is wide and includes such 
subjects as "Casting Fine and Far Off," "Strip-Casting for 
Bass," "Fishing for Mountain Trout," and "Autumn Fishing 
for Lake Trout." The book is pervaded with a spirit of love for 
the streamside and the out-doors generally which the genu- 
ine angler will appreciate. A companion book to "Fishing 
Kits and Equipment." The advice on outfitting so capably 
given in that book is supplemented in this later work by equally 
valuable information on how to use the equipment. 

Fishing Kits and Equipment. By Samuel G. Camp. A complete 
guide to the angler buying a new outfit. Every detail of fishing 
kit of the freshwater angler is described, from rodtip to creel 
and clothing. Special emphasis is laid on outfitting for fly 
fishing, but full instruction is also given to the man who 
wants to catch pickerel, pike, muskellunge, lake-trout, bass 
and other fresh-water game fishes. Prices are quoted for all 
articles recommended and the approved method of selecting 
and testing the various rods, lines, leaders, etc., is described. 

"A complete guide to the angler buying a new outfit/' 

— Peoria Herald. 

"The man advised hy Mr. Camp will catch Ms fish.'* 

—Seattle, P. I. 

"Even the seasoned angler will read this book with 

profit." — Chicago Tribune. 

The Horse, Its Breeding, Care and Use. By David Buffum. Mr. 
Buffum takes up the common, every-day problems of the 
ordinary horse-user, such as feeding, shoeing, simple home 
remedies, breaking and the cure for various equine vices. An 
important chapter is that tracing the influx of Arabian blood 
into the English and American horses and its value and limi- 
tations. Chapters are included on draft-horses, carriage horses, 
and the development of the two-minute trotter. It is dis- 
tinctly a sensible book for the sensible man who wishes to 
know how he can improve his horses and his horsemanship 
at the same time. 



Outing Handbooks 



Intensive Farming. By L. C. Corbett. Th« problem as presented 
In this book is not so much that of producing results on a 
small scale because the land is no longer fertile enough to be 
handled in an expensive manner but rather one of producing 
a profit on high priced land, which is the real secret of in- 
tensive farming. This book will take up the question of the 
kind of crops, and method of planting and cultivation neces- 
sary to justify the high prices now being charged for farming 
land in many sections. Its publication marks the passing of 
the old style, wasteful farmer with his often destructive 
methods and the appearance of the new farming which means 
added farm profit and proper conservation of the soil's re- 
sources. 

Leather and Cloth Working. Edited by Horace Kephart. This 
book is designed to give competent instruction in the making 
of the outdoor paraphernalia into which leather and cloth enter, 
such as tents, sails, sleeping bags, knapsacks, blanket rolls, 
and so forth. It has the double advantage of reducing the 
cost of the equipment and minimizing the risks of loss or 
accident when away from civilization. The cutting or patching 
of a sail or the repair of a sleeping bag may seem like a 
simple matter, but knowledge of how to do it may often spell 
the difference between safety and comfort or danger and a very 
high degree of discomfort. 

Making and Keeping Soils. By David Buffum. This is Intended 
for practical farmers, especially those who wish to operate on 
a comparatively small scale. The author gives the latest 
results as showing the possibility of bringing worn-out soil up 
to its highest point of productiveness and maintaining it there 
with the least possible expense. The problem of fertilization 
enters in as also that of crop rotation and the kind of crops 
best adapted to the different kinds of soil. 

The Motor Boat, Its Selection, Care and Use. By H. W. Slauson. 
The intending purchaser of a motor boat is advised as to the 
type of boat best suited to his particular needs, the power 
required for the desired speeds, and the equipment necessary 
for the varying uses. The care of the engines receives special 
attention and chapters are included on the use of the boat in 
camping and cruising expeditions, its care through the winter, 
and its efficiency in the summer. 

Outdoor Signalling. By Elbert Wells. Mr. Wells has perfected a 
method of signalling by means of wig-wag, light, smoke, or 
whistle which is as simple as it is effective. The funda- 
mental principle can be learnt in ten minutes and its applica- 
tion is far easier than that of any other code now in use. 
It permits also the use of cipher and can be adapted to almost 
any imaginable conditions of weather, light, or topography. 

Planning the Country House. The builder of a house in the 
country or in the suburbs is frequently forced to choose be- 
tween two extremes — his own ignorance or the conventional 
stereotyped designs of mediocre architects and builders. This 
book provides a solution by presenting a number of excellent 
plans by an expert architect of wide experience in country 
house building, together with a plain statement of the prob- 
lems which the builder must face, and the most suitable and 
advisable methods of solving them. A sufficient number of 
plans are presented for a liberal choice or to suggest the 
very house that the reader has been looking for. 



Outing Handbooks 



Rustic Carpentry. Edited by Horaco Kephart. Every year the 
number of dwellers In summer cottages of the smaller type 
Increases and every year more and more people are giving 
attention to the beautifying of their own summer places with 
porch gates, fences, lawn seats, summer houses, and so forth. 
The country carpenter is not always available and frequently 
not dependable. This book answers the call for information 
as to how the owner of a summer house or summer cottage 
may be his own carpenter, building his ov/n furniture, con- 
structing his own porches, adorning his place with attractive 
fences, seats and so forth. Incidentally it opens the door to 
a most attractive way of spending one's leisure hours on a 
summer vacation. 

The Setter. As the hunting dog "par excellence" the setter will 
only be treated with direct reference to his use before the guns. 
A practical method of putting a puppy through the necessary 
preliminary training before he takes the field, is described, as 
also the proper use of the broken dog in actual hunting or in 
field trials. As in our other dog books special attention will be 
given to the care of the dog in the kennels, type and qualities 
as affecting breeding, and simple remedies for the ordinary 
diseases. 

The Scottish and Irish Terriers. By Williams Haynes. These 
two breeds are included in one book because of their general 
similarity of type, habits and use. Both have been increasing 
in popularity greatly in recent years. This book responds to 
a widely felt need for a common-sense manual which shall de- 
scribe the breed, its noteworthy characteristics, points to be ob- 
served in selecting a dog, and the training of the dog after 
selection. Remedies for the ordinary diseases are described 
and advice given on the construction and care of kennels in 
a comprehensive and feasible manner. 

Sheet Metal Working. Edited by Horace Kephart. Sheet metal 
enters into many of the articles that constitute an important 
part of the camper or canoeist's outfit such, for example, as 
baker's ovens, cups and pans, not to mention the numberless 
cans, boxes and cases which must find a place somewhere 
in the outdoor man's bags. This book teaches the reader how 
to obtain exactly the thing he wants because it teaches him 
how to make it himself. Also it Is an excellent insurance 
against discomfort in the woods by its practical advice in the 
matter of rough and ready repair and refitting. 

Sporting Firearms. By Horace Kephart. Mr. Kephart has done 
for the user of the shotgun, the rifle, or the revolver what he 
did for the camper and woods cruiser in "The Book of Camp- 
ing and Woodcraft." All three arms are dealt with from the 
standpoint of the every-day non-professional user, and com- 
mon-sense advice is given as to the makes, calibres, and* types 
for the various uses. Even expert marksmen will find in this 
book possibilities of their favorite weapon suggested or de- 
scribed, of which they had not dreamt before. 

Tracks and Tracking. By Josef Brunner. After twenty years of 
patient study and practical experience, Mr. Brunner can, from 
his intimate knowledge, speak with authority on this subject: 
"Tracks and Tracking" shows how to follow intelligently even 
the most intricate animal or bird tracks. It teaches how to In- 
terpret tracks of wild game and decipher the many tell-tale 
signs of the ehase that would otherwise pass unnoticed. It 
proves how It is possible to tell from the footprints the name, 
sex, speed, direction, whether and how wounded, and many 
other things about wild animals and birds. All material has 
bMB gathered first hand. 



Outing Handbooks 



Wing and Trap-Shooting. By Charles Askins. The only practical 
manual in existence dealing with wing shooting with the 
modern gun. It contains a full discussion of the various 
methods, such as snap-shooting, swing and half-swing, dis- 
cusses the flight of birds with reference to the gunner's 
problem of lead and range and makes special application of 
the various points to the different birds commonly shot in this 
country. A chapter is included on trap shooting and the book 
closes with a forceful and common-sense presentation of the 
etiquette of tbe field, 



OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY 



3l5 FIFTH AVENUE ©tFHN€ 

N£W YORK CITY HANDBOOKS 



MC 



S 1«tt 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 
NOV t\ ^^^^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



002 886 492 9 



